The New Girl: Bridgette!
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Two years after the defeat of HIM, things could be as normal as usual for the girls. However, the monsters start turning the tables and the girls have had some close calls. But out of nowhere, a FOURTH Powerpuff Girl Z makes the scene and saves them! Who is this new girl! And what's with her negative attitude towards romance? OC's, minor language, kisses. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a REWRITE! Sorry about not updating in over a year or two. I guess I got busy with other stories, and grew bored with this one. And this story was due for a rewrite anyway.**

**We start our story two years after the defeat of HIM and we get an update on how the girls are doing. But a monkey wrench is thrown into the peace when a new girl shows up and saves their skins! Who IS this girl?! And if that wasn't strange enough, a new girl comes to school, and it's clear that she's the girls' savior – if her belt isn't any indication!**

* * *

_Who's The New Girl?_

The scene came to a large city from a viewpoint of someone on a skyscraper and looking at the city from that angle.

"_New Townsville, a town known for its food, its entertainment, and most of all…"_

Three light streaks came around. One streak in red, one in blue, and one in green, were flying across the sky.

It turned out the lights were three girls, in their mid-teens, were flying across the sky. Their clothes consisted of a leotard in their respective colors with white belts that had rainbow buttons and colored compacts in the center, with a large "P" on them, and white shoes were in their colors with white soles, each with matching gems in the middle of the soles, also in their respective colors. They had vests in lighter shades of their color, albeit the girl that was wearing green had hers in yellow. They also wore miniskirts with black marks on the edges, and they were each wearing a different color. They also had fingerless gloves on, and at least one hair accessory. They were also all wearing "pearl" earrings of sorts, and black chokers with yellow "P"s on them.

"_The Powerpuff Girls Z! The official protectors of New Townsville, dedicated to keeping the peace, stopping rampant monsters, and most of all… Looking adorable as they do!"_

The girl in red was a redhead with a large ponytail tied with a red ribbon, and her eyes were rose-colored, something of a cross between red and pink, but leaned more to red.

"_Blossom, the red-headed Leader!"_

The girl in blue was a blue-eyed, curly-pigtailed blond. Her eyes were a regular shade of blue and she had a blue barrette in her hair.

"_Bubbles, the beautiful blue-eyed blond with a compassionate side towards some monsters!"_

And finally, the girl in green had smoke-blue hair that was a little unkempt, but it made her look good. Her eyes were green as well, and she had green gemstones in her hair.

"_And Buttercup, the team tomboy with a hatred for skirts and a lot of muscle power!"_

However, Blossom's compact, in red, started blinking and beeping, and then she picked it up, before asking, "Professor, what's up?"

"It looks like we've got Mojo Jojo problems again," The Professor said; he was an older man with black hair and silver-blue eyes, with a little boy with a strong resemblance to him standing next to him, with a robot dog in the little boy's arms. "He's attacking the city… Yet again."

"That idiotic monkey doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Buttercup complained, crossing her arms.

"Not knowing when to quit isn't necessarily a bad thing," Bubbles said. "He's just determined to achieve his goal."

"And it doesn't bother you that Mojo's goal is world domination?!" Blossom shouted, annoyed with Bubbles.

"I guess you're right." Bubbles said, giggling.

"Honestly…" Buttercup said.

"Let's just do it!" Blossom said, as she then changed direction of her flight and then she and her friends flew off in the direction of the mayhem that was being caused on the other side of town.

However, a shadow from below was seen, but then it retreated from whence it came. Whoever or whatever it was, that was unknown, but it was soon to return, that was for sure.

Blossom and her friends made it to the scene of the discord and saw a large monkey in a purple cloak or sorts with a large, white and purple-striped helmet. He was inside the cockpit of a robot that was in his likeness.

Blossom and the trio landed on a nearby roof and then Blossom said, "This is just too typical for Mojo."

"He never learns his lesson, does he?" Buttercup complained.

"We need to teach him some manners!" Bubbles said, a pouty look on her face.

"Let's do it!" Blossom said, as she and the girls flew at Mojo to attack.

"Stop it, you pea-brained primate!" Buttercup shouted.

"The PowerPuff Girls!" Mojo shouted, as he turned his robot's attention towards the girls.

"You're starting to beat a dead monkey with these attempts to take over the world! You're not going to get anywhere, so just give it up!" Blossom said, as she took out her yo-yo.

"No! I will not give up!" Mojo shouted, as he activated his mechanical arm to hit Blossom.

It stopped in front of Blossom, and the girls sighed in relief, thinking the robot malfunctioned, but then it suddenly moved sharply and threw Blossom to the pavement.

"Blossom!" Buttercup shouted.

"No!" Bubbles shouted.

"Now for you two!" Mojo shouted, as he used the same thing to hurt the girls and knock them down like flies.

"Ow…" Blossom said, as she rose out of the pavement crater she unintentionally made.

"No kidding around…" Buttercup said. "It's only been two years since we've started this whole "Powerpuff Girl" thing, but now the monsters seem to be getting more and more powerful."

"I guess it's because that we've been doing the same old thing for so long that they've started to adapt." Bubbles said.

"Then we need to pull the plug! Let's go!" Blossom said, as she and the girls flew out of the crater they made and flew at Mojo once more.

Unfortunately, Mojo had yet another trick up his sleeve; he had installed a large constrictor net in his machine and he fired it at the girls.

"What is this?!" Bubbles shouted.

The net started contracting, causing the girls to start losing air; they were beginning to suffocate and soon, the girls were starting to lose the color in their face from healthy peach/pale with blush to red from lack of oxygen.

"NO!" The Professor shouted.

However, the robot dog's nose twitched for a second and then it spoke up, saying, "Ken! Professor! I'm picking up more Z Ray activity!"

"What was that, Poochi?! The girls are in a big enough pinch as it is," Ken said. "Not another monster."

"That's the strange part: I'm picking up _White_ Z Rays this time!" Poochi said.

"White ones?" The Professor inquired, surprised.

"I can't breathe…" Blossom said.

"Then don't talk!" Buttercup said, as she was trying to hold some air.

"Once the three of you are out of the picture, the world will be mine!" Mojo said, laughing.

"Girls… In case we don't make it… I want to make sure you know how happy I was to be super heroines with the two of you these past few years!" Blossom said.

"Same goes for me… Blossom!" Bubbles said, trying to hold her breath.

"I triple that…" Buttercup said. "Even though you two were really girly for my taste!"

"Is this it for them?!" Ken asked, in a panic. "What will we tell their families?!"

However, in the midst of the confusion, a pale pink streak of light came on the scene. It slashed across the net, setting the girls free. They rose back up into the sky while taking in some much-needed air, and then the trio looked around to get a glimpse of who or what had saved them.

Ken, the Professor, and Poochi were in awe of what they were seeing and then all of a sudden, the same pink streak started crossing the robot, and then when it was done, it seemed the robot was unscathed. But then it fell to pieces; literally.

"What was that?" Blossom asked.

"Whatever or whoever it was, Mojo was certainly taken care of," Buttercup said, as she pointed to the sky. "Look."

Mojo was flying off into the sky and he was going very fast, shouting, "I'll get your new friend for this, you smelly human girls!"

"New friend?" The trio said, together.

Blossom then noticed something; she pointed to the left, and shouted, "Look! Over there; who is that?"

They noticed that flying in mid-air was the silhouette a girl around their age, and judging by the shadow, it could safely be assumed she was wearing the same uniform as they were.

"Thank you for helping!" Bubbles said, as she tried to approach their savior.

However, the girl said nothing, turned her back on the trio, and flew off, without even giving them a second glance, and leaving a pale pink streak of light behind her. Once she was gone, the girls were left very confused.

"What was that about?" Buttercup said.

"That was so rude…" Bubbles said.

"There's something weird about her." Blossom said.

"Either way, she's gone now; I hope we can see her again and give her a proper 'thank-you' for her help." Bubbles said, with a smile.

"Let's just get back to the lab." Buttercup said.

Later at the lab, the girls were relaxing, doing their favorite pastimes: Buttercup was lifting weights while watching a soccer game; Blossom was munching on her favorite candies and pastries while reading a comic book; Bubbles was looking at fashion magazines, and looking at some new styles to try.

"Girls, we have something to talk about." The professor said, as he, Ken, and Poochi came inside the lab.

"What's the matter, Professor?" Buttercup asked.

"It's the weirdest thing," Ken said. "Poochi was detecting _White_ Z Rays while you were fighting Mojo."

"White Z Rays?" Bubbles asked.

"That would explain the new girl who saved us." Blossom said.

"You're right girls, that does make perfect sense." Ken said.

"Girls, I want you to keep a look out for a girl with a belt identical to yours; we'll then know who our new friend is." The Professor said.

"You got it!" The girls said, happily.

* * *

The next day at school, things were going on normally; the trio was in the classroom, mingling with each other, and discussing their normal Powerpuff Girls Z issues, but the main topic they were on was the mysterious girl who saved them the day before.

"I don't get why she would just save us and leave like that." Blossom said.

"Maybe she's a coward; too scared to face us for fear of us chewing her out." Buttercup suggested, a little arrogantly.

"I actually think she's shy." Bubbles suggested.

Soon, the classroom door opened, and then the girls' teacher, Miss Keane, came inside and then she went to her desk, before calling out, "Alright, class, settle down! Everyone, please go your seats."

The girls then went back to their assigned seats to listen to what Miss Keane had to say.

"Alright, class. I have some news to share with you," Miss Keane said. "We have a new student joining our class today."

Everyone then started murmuring in anticipation and excitement. Blossom whispered to Bubbles, who sat beside her, "Does that seem too much of a coincidence to you or what?"

"I'm not sure, Blossom," Bubbles said. "But at least we can make a new friend."

Blossom's head fell forward, as Blossom's meaning seemed to go over Bubbles' head.

"Come in." Miss Keane said.

A girl came in, and she was very fashionable at a first glance. She was a brunette that had her hair go down to her shoulders, worn down. She had pale pink eyes, and her face looked a little cynical, as she had a mild scowl on her face as well as her eyes looking a little bored, too.

She was carrying her school bag in her right hand and it was draped over her right shoulder, which had something of a rebellious look to it. Her outfit consisted of blue denim skinny jeans that had a bedazzled katana on the front of the calf area. The bottoms were fringed with pink beads, and her shoes were pale pink wedge sandals. Her shirt was a pink blouse with puffed sleeves, a cupcake on the front, and she was wearing pink diamond earrings. However, what stood out to the girls was that her belt was _identical_ to theirs; only her compact was pale pink with a large, magenta "P" on it.

"_Definitely_ not a coincidence." Blossom whispered to Bubbles.

"Her belt is identical to ours!" Bubbles whispered back.

"I noticed that, too." Buttercup said, quietly.

"Everyone, please, meet Bridgette Hamilton, who moved here with her father, Melvin Hamilton, from New Citiesville." Miss Keane said.

"Wow. New Citiesville, huh?" "That's a new one." "Isn't that place a bit of a sketchy city?" "Hey, don't judge her because of that! That's mean!" "But she is kind of cute."

Bridgette released an aggravated groan and muttered, "Typical…"

"What was that?" Miss Keane asked.

"I didn't say a thing," Bridgette said, with a shrug. "Now, where should I be sitting?"

"Oh, yes, your seat assignment… There's an empty seat in the back corner over there… Assuming you're fine with that." Miss Keane said, looking at the seating chart.

"If it's the only one available, I'll take it." Bridgette said, as she walked towards the back of the classroom and sat down. She then propped her face up on her hand and she looked up to Miss Keane, ready to get started.

"Alright, class. Picking up from where we left off last time, we were on our Russian Revolution unit, specifically, Joseph Stalin." Miss Keane said, as she turned to the blackboard and began writing.

"Joseph who?" Buttercup inquired to Bubbles and Blossom.

"He was the unlikely successor to the Russian Communist government after Karl Marx died, and chased Vladmir Lenin out of Russia during the World War II era." Bridgette answered, rather dryly.

"Very good, Bridgette!" Miss Keane said. "You really know your stuff."

"Thanks," Bridgette said, with a shrug. "But let's just get back to work, shall we?"

"Yes, let's." Miss Keane said, as she turned back to the board and went back to teaching.

A few minutes more into class, and Bridgette had already proven herself to be excellent in Humanities classes, as she answered more than half of what Miss Keane had asked.

"Now, the reason for Stalin constantly slaughtering people left and right, was…" Miss Keane said, asking the question.

"I'll take this one," Bridgette said, standing up. "Stalin was, for lack of better words, paranoid. He was always thinking that someone was out to get him, no matter what. He didn't trust anyone, not even his family or friends. It also created a cult of personality. The public saw him as a God with a human heart, but in reality, he's higher up on the pedestal of evil when compared to the Nazi Germany dictator of the same time period, Adolf Hitler, who was responsible for breaking the Treaty of Versailles, as well as the Holocaust during his reign in World War II. Like Hitler, Stalin was responsible for the unreasonable and unfair genocide of many Jews as well as other random people he suspected within Russia during the time period."

"Bridgette, that was _excellent! _You may have gotten off-topic and rambled a bit, but that was absolutely excellent work!" Miss Keane praised.

Everyone started murmuring and talking about Bridgette's intelligence and brains, while Bridgette sat down and just sighed sadly.

"That's amazing…" Blossom said.

However, the girls' belts started beeping again.

"Miss Keane!" Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom said, standing up.

Bridgette tuned out as the girls gave out their flimsy excuses to get out of class so as to go get rid of any trouble they had to deal with. Bridgette's belt was beeping, too, but she just tuned out as she listened to the lecture Miss Keane was giving.

The girls, meanwhile, were on the roof, and were ready to transform and get ready to go.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

The three girls then made their group pose.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!"_

"Let's see who it is this time," Blossom said, opening up her compact to see which villain it was that time around. "Oh, great. Not Fuzzy Lumpkins!"

"Him again?" Buttercup complained.

"Let's go!" Bubbles said, before the girls then flew off to stop Fuzzy Lumpkins from terrorizing the city.

They made it to the scene of the chaos and saw that Fuzzy was, as usual, rampaging and putting his handprints on places that he deemed his territory.

"This isn't right! Fuzzy, you're just doing property damage!" Blossom shouted.

"What the-?!" Fuzzy said, as he turned around and saw the girls.

"You forgot about us: The PowerPuff Girls Z!" Blossom, and her pals said, as they confronted Fuzzy.

"Not you!" Fuzzy complained, as he then threw a punch at the girls, and hit Blossom in the face, knocking her down.

"Ack! Blossom, are you okay?" Bubbles asked, as she got down and helped Blossom up.

"I'm fine," Blossom said. "Let's just stop Fuzzy!"

The girls then got up and decided to help Blossom, and then they tried every move they had, including their combination attacks.

Buttercup tried hitting Fuzzy with her hammer, only to be thrown into the tree; Bubbles tried using her wand to cause some damage to Fuzzy, but her bubbles were merely popped and then she was thrown into the same tree, landing on Buttercup.

"Ouch!" Buttercup shouted.

"Sorry, Buttercup." Bubbles said, a little timidly.

"Not your fault; Blossom, are you okay over there?" Buttercup shouted.

"I'd be better if I were more able to keep Fuzzy from moving! Rode-yo-yo!" Blossom shouted, as she started using the string of her yo-yo like a lasso that a cowgirl or cowboy would use.

Blossom tried using her yo-yo string to tie Fuzzy up, but this backfired as _she_ ended up tied up, and then after a few minutes, so were Bubbles and Buttercup. To say they were in a pinch was an understatement.

Meanwhile, Bridgette seemed to sense something was off, and then she raised her hand.

"Oh, Bridgette, is something the matter?" Miss Keane asked.

"May I use the bathroom, please?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes, you may." Miss Keane said, as Bridgette then up and left the classroom.

Bridgette soon found the girls' bathroom and then went inside, before shutting the door.

Back with the girls, they were tied to a tree, exhausted, and unable to break free while Fuzzy was putting his handprint on everything.

"How did we get into this mess?" Buttercup asked, blue lines going down the side of her face.

"By getting cocky," Blossom said. "After such a long time of fighting these bad guys, we thought we've seen it all, but then they start turning the tables."

"What tables?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom and Buttercup merely groaned and let some air loose.

"Dang it! Where's a mysterious savior when you need her?!" Buttercup complained, steam puffs popping from her head.

However, they got their wish, as soon, the same pale pink streak from the day before came down and it slashed the string of the bindings. The girls were then set free, and they stood up, stretching their legs.

"What do you know? I may have spoken too soon." Buttercup said.

Soon, the silhouette of the same girl from the day before confronted Fuzzy.

"Who might y'all be?" Fuzzy asked.

The girl remained silent, but just took out a long, thin item, and then took something off it, before pointing the item at Fuzzy. Getting a better look, the girls noticed the item's luster.

"That girl's got a sword! Two of them!" Blossom said.

The girl put her sword back in its sheath before using the pommel of the weapon to punch Fuzzy in the stomach, knocking him back, and knocking him _out_.

She then twirled her sword over her head before putting it back, and then she started to fly away.

"Hey, wait! Don't leave!" Blossom said.

The girl hesitated and looked back at them in mid-air, remaining silent.

"We just want to say thank you for helping us both yesterday and again today." Bubbles said.

"Yeah," Buttercup said. "You totally rock with those swords."

The girl did not say a thing, but just flew off, like the day before.

"Once again, helpful, but rude." Blossom said, crossing her arms.

"Let's just get back to school before Miss Keane suspects anything." Buttercup said, before flying off.

* * *

Bridgette came back to the classroom and sat back down in her desk, just as Miss Keane was getting into her lecture on Stalin's reaction to the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki and Hirsoshima.

"Whose idea was it to build an atom bomb, anyway?" Princess Morbucks said, as she crossed her arms.

"Look up the Manhattan project, and you'll find out." Bridgette coldly said.

Everyone just sweat dropped, and then, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup came back inside the classroom and sat back down.

Everything went off without a hitch for the rest of the day, and Bridgette just went home once school let out. She sighed outwardly, before saying out loud, "It's okay, Bridgette. You can do this… Just… _Don't let them in… Don't let them see… Be the shut-in you always have to be_."

She sang the last lines, quoting Disney's "Frozen", and then she felt a little bit better.

Back at the lab, the girls were once again discussing their mysterious savior.

"I swear, that girl doesn't know how rude she's being." Bubbles said.

"Rude or not, she's helped us twice. We need to track her down." Blossom stated.

"We can already confront Bridgette on the issue; she's got the belt, after all. And if that sword design on her jeans isn't any other indication, then I KNOW she's the one helping us out." Buttercup said.

"Then why isn't she just telling us?" Bubbles said. "It's not like she doesn't recognize our belts, either."

"The one thing that has me confused is how she could have gotten the powers in the first place; didn't we use all the White Z Rays to seal _Him_ away?" Blossom inquired.

"Maybe there were White Z Rays that escaped Poochi's radar?" Ken suggested.

"That seems like a legitimate hypothesis." The Professor said.

"But still, Bridgette seems a little cold and such," Bubbles said. "How are we going to ask her about it if we just get the cold shoulder?"

"We'll get it out of her, don't worry!" Buttercup said.

* * *

The next day at school, Bridgette was at her locker, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and then saw Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup together, smiling at her.

Bridgette cocked an eyebrow as she asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Can you come to the Lab after school today? We want to get further acquainted with you." Blossom asked.

"Excuse me? If you want to get to know me, why not do it here?" Bridgette asked, leaning against her locker, turning on her cynical side.

"Because, we know your secret!" The trio said, together.

"What secret?" Bridgette said with a scoff.

"Recognize these?" Bubbles asked, smiling, while showing Bridgette her belt.

Bridgette's eyes widened, and then she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"See you at the lab!" Buttercup said, as she and her two friends then left the scene.

Bridgette merely watched them walk away and then she once again sang, _"Don't let them in… Don't let them see… Be the shut-in you always have to be."_

Bridgette then took a deep breath before walking away for the class period.

"Alright, class, I want you to get your "Animal Farm" books from the library before leaving for home today." Miss Keane said, as their English class let out for the day.

Bridgette was packing her book bag, but she snuck a glance at Blossom and company before turning away, before thinking, _'Come on, Bridgette, you can do better than this!'_

Blossom then approached and said, "We'll see you at the lab in a little while, Bridgette! And bring your belt, too!"

"What makes you so sure I trust you?" Bridgette said.

This seemed to go over Blossom's head; she merely smiled at Bridgette and then walked away.

Bridgette groaned as she soon went to the school library to pick up her copy of "Animal Farm" and then she put it in her book bag.

Walking out of the school, Bridgette merely looked at her belt, and thought, _'How sure of their abilities are those three? Their demeanors scream 'carefree' to me.'_

Bridgette's aura was radiating white, only to for it to be detected by Poochi.

"A new friend, you guys! A pink one!" Poochi said.

"Are you sure the one who's been saving you is the new girl in your class?" Ken asked, after seeing Poochi's behavior.

"The girl's got a belt identical to ours and her aura is white! What more proof do you need?!" Buttercup shouted, waving her arms, her hands balled into fists, and a vein popping in her head.

"I guess that can work for me…" Ken said, sweat dropping.

"Are you sure about this?" Bubbles asked Blossom.

"I know she seems a little rude and cold, but I'm sure there's a reason for it," Blossom said. "She wouldn't be so evasive if she wasn't."

"She's close, you guys! The new girl is close!" Poochi said, getting excited.

"Bridgette's almost here!" Bubbles said, her eyes turning into stars.

"I can't wait!" Blossom said, also excited.

However, outside the door, Bridgette was listening to them, and then she sighed, before saying, "Okay, Bridgette, just remember… _Don't let them in. Don't let them see… Be the shut-in you always have to be._"

Bridgette knocked on the door, before opening it up and then walking inside before Poochi, who then sniffed her aura, suddenly jumped into her arms.

"This is the girl! She's the one emitting the White Z Rays!" Poochi said, as he wagged his tail.

"Ack! Talking dog! Talking _robot_ dog!" Bridgette said, as she stepped back a bit.

"Don't worry," Ken said, as he picked up Poochi. "Poochi is perfectly tame. He won't hurt you."

"Um… Okay." Bridgette said, albeit her facial expression said otherwise.

"Welcome to Utonium Labs, Bridgette," Blossom said. "This is where Bubbles, Buttercup and I hang out during our off-time. It's sort of the Powerpuff Girls Z headquarters for us."

"And why are you telling all of this information to a complete stranger?" Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

"Because you're the one who's been saving us from monsters, aren't you?" Bubbles inquired.

"What makes you so sure it's me?" Bridgette inquired, trying to play dumb.

"Don't play dumb, Bridgette," Buttercup said, almost angry. "We _know_ it's you! The fact that Poochi smelled White Z Rays on you, coupled with the fact that you have an identical belt is automatic proof!"

"And another thing," Blossom said. "The girl who saved us uses swords. _You_ have a bedazzled sword design on your jeans."

Bridgette then sweat dropped and looked at her jeans, and Blossom was right on the money about it.

"Don't hide it, Bridgette!" Ken said, with a smile.

"We know it's you!" Poochi said.

"Please, just tell us the truth," Bubbles said. "It will make you – as well as the rest of us – feel a whole lot better."

Bridgette's eyebrow twitched and then she sighed, very aggravated, letting a puff of air from her mouth.

"Okay, fine, you got me!" Bridgette said. "I've been the one playing "heroine" and helping you three in a pinch!"

"We knew it!" The girls said together, jumping for joy.

"This is great!" Blossom said. "We have a new friend!"

"I know! A new friend to help us fight monsters! They have been getting a lot more powerful lately." Bubbles said.

"We've had too many close calls. Now that we have Bridgette on the team, we can totally turn the tide!" Buttercup shouted, a fist pumped into the air.

"What tide? We're not at the beach." Bubbles said.

The girls merely fell over, anime style, and Bubbles' denseness, and then Bridgette started groaning.

"Either way, Bridgette, let's hope you can get along with the girls." The Professor said, as he held out his hand to shake hands with Bridgette.

Bridgette reached out to take the Professor's hand, hesitated… And then slapped the professor's hand away.

Everyone in the room gasped.

"What makes you think I want to join you girls?" Bridgette said.

"But you saved us!" Bubbles said, about to cry.

"If _I_ didn't, who would? Just because I've saved your skins a few times doesn't make me your friend, nor does it make me a teammate." Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

"What are you talking about?! We need you here!" Buttercup shouted, a vein throbbing, and an angry look on her face.

"You haven't needed backup from another PowerPuff Girl before." Bridgette said.

The girls sweat dropped; Bubbles and Blossom giggled sheepishly while Buttercup looked bemused and had an irritated look on her face.

"Bridgette, please, be reasonable; you can't walk out on the girls!" The Professor said.

"I'm being reasonable by saying 'no'!" Bridgette said, as she shifted her stance a little bit; it made her look sassier. "I don't know where you got the idea of making me a member of the team, but let it sink in that it _won't happen_!"

"But why not? You're a girl with superpowers just like us," Blossom said. "And you have such amazing abilities! We'd love to have you on our team!"

"I couldn't care less about what _you_ want," Bridgette said. "What _I _want is some peace! These powers I got are nothing more than a curse! You may like them, but I just don't want them!"

Bridgette took off her belt and put it on the desk before saying, "You three are too carefree for your own good; look what it's gotten yourselves into! I don't need this."

Bridgette was about to leave the lab when the Professor shouted, "Catch!"

Bridgette turned around and then the Professor tossed Bridgette her belt. Bridgette caught it, and gave the professor a cynical look.

She pointed to Blossom and said, "You! You're the comic book girl of the class, right?"

"Yes." Blossom said.

"Are you familiar with the trope "Broken Bird"?" Bridgette inquired.

"Blossom, what's a "Broken Bird"?" Buttercup asked, as she was just as confused as Bubbles, Ken, Poochi, and the Professor were.

"The trope "Broken Bird" is basically the term used for a heroine that is coping with a traumatic event or something in their past that causes them to undergo a personality change that makes them seem cynical or even rude." Blossom explained.

"You're right," Bridgette said. "I don't fall under the trope "Broken Bird" for nothing."

Bridgette then turned her back and shut the door as she left the lab, and then the girls were left stunned by Bridgette's behavior.

"She isn't going to join the team?!" The trio shouted, in shock.

Outside the lab, Bridgette looked back before saying, "Who are they kidding? I don't need them; I won't join them. _**EVER**_."

Bridgette then walked home, feeling relieved to get it off her chest.

* * *

**Well, what did you think of how I rewrote it? Just let me know. I hope you liked it! Sorry I took so long with it.**

**Next time…**

**Bridgette: Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, it's time to **_**Let It Go!**_

**Blossom: Why won't you join us, Bridgette?!**

**Bridgette: What do **_**YOU THREE**_** know? At least you're lives are still in one piece.**

**Buttercup: What does she mean by **_**THAT?**_

**?: Maybe I can help.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, man! Why isn't Bridgette going to join the team?! There has to be a reason, but what is it? We'll find out more about Bridgette in this chapter. This song features a partially altered version of Demi Lovato's version of "Let It Go" from the Disney Movie "Frozen", and a few lines from "For The First Time In Forever" from the same film.**

**I hope you guys liked the rewrite; it took too long, I know. **

* * *

_The Girls Plus One More Makes Four!_

"What are we going to do?" Blossom said, as she was at the lab with her friends, but it was just a few minutes after Bridgette had left the lab.

"Bridgette just walked out on us!" Bubbles said, about to cry. "But why?"

"Who cares?! We need her to help us out!" Buttercup said, angry.

"Now, girls, I'm sure there's a reason," The Professor said. "Remember, Buttercup wasn't too keen on being a Powerpuff Girl when you three first got your powers, remember?"

"Yeah, that's right. Buttercup didn't like the outfit, and still doesn't. She also said we were too feminine for her taste; it would be too embarrassing for her." Bubbles said.

"But I warmed up to you two, and now we're peas in a pod." Buttercup said, giving her friends a thumb's up.

"I still wonder what she meant by "Broken Bird", though." Ken said.

"Something bad must have happened in the past to make her this way," Blossom said. "Something really sad."

"Like what?" Bubbles said.

"I really don't know," Blossom said. "It could be a whole laundry list of things."

"Professor!" A voice shouted, and then the girls turned around to see New Townsville's Mayor on the videophone, with a panicked expression on his face.

"Mr. Mayor, what's the problem?" The Professor said.

"We've got trouble! It's the Amoeba Boys again! They're on a rampage!" The Mayor shouted, in a panic.

"You girls know what to do!" The Professor said.

"Right!" The trio shouted.

The girls then raised their hands to the air, forming their rings, and then they all took out their compacts, opened them, and swiped their rings over their compacts to activate the transformation.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

The trio then came together, and they made a group pose.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!"_

"Let's move it, girls!" Blossom said, as the trio then flew out of the lab through the skylight.

Bridgette, meanwhile, was walking home, sadly, her usual facial expression on her face. She soon saw a giant, yellow blob of some sort destroying buildings in the city.

"What in the name of…?" Bridgette said, a little surprised.

Her pink compact then started flashing and beeping. Groaning, she picked it up out of her belt, but rather than answering the call, she pressed a few buttons and turned it off. She put the compact back and then she went on her way.

"Do those three girls really need me? I'm sure they can take care of themselves; they have so many times before." Bridgette said.

She then looked to the sky and saw the girls, in their colored streaks, come to save the day by beating up the Amoeba Boys.

Blossom then saw Bridgette down on the ground, and then Bridgette merely turned around, after making eye contact, and then she began to walk away.

Soon, Blossom looked at Bridgette sadly, before thinking, _'Why isn't she helping us?'_

"Bridgette didn't respond." The Professor said, a little nervous.

The Amoeba Boys then changed back into three amoebas and then they started running around the city, separately.

"Girls, split up! I'll take Violet!" Blossom said. "Bubbles, find Poncho, and Buttercup, go get Top Hat."

"Right!" Bubbles and Buttercup said, as they then split up and flew off in different directions, chasing after their respective targets.

"Divide and conquer, huh? Nice thinking, Blossom." Buttercup said, smiling.

"Nice tactical thinking on Blossom's end," The Professor said. "With this, they should be able stop the Amoeba Boys within a little while."

* * *

Bubbles was tailing Poncho, and then she soon found him: he was running around the park, being mischievous and mean with the little kids.

"There he is!" Bubbles said, as she readied her bubble wand.

Bubbles landed, and started searching for Poncho, who had hidden away. She found Poncho, the green Amoeba and then she began to attack.

"_Bursting Bubbles!" _Bubbles called, as she fired bubbles at Poncho.

However, Poncho proved to be too fast for Bubbles, her bubbles, and then she tripped and fell onto her stomach when Poncho ran around her legs.

"This isn't funny!" Bubbles said, complaining, as Poncho ran around Bubbles, teasing her.

Blossom soon found her target: Violet, the pink Amoeba.

Blossom found that Violet was fooling around inside a candy shop, knocking over merchandise and causing problems.

"Oh, great! And a candy store of all places!" Blossom said, as she landed on the ground outside the shop, and then she ran inside to stop Violet.

Violet herself was laughing at the mess she made, seeing all of the people tripping and falling on candies of all varieties and messing up the store.

"All of these candy spills and such are a feast for the eyes! I wonder what kind of trouble I can cause!" Violet said.

"Not much with _ME_ around!" Blossom said, as she confronted Violet with her yo-yo in hand.

Violet then scrambled to leave the scene, but Blossom started chasing her on foot, due to the fact that flying could cause more damage to the store than Violet could do by herself.

"Get back here!" Blossom shouted, shooting her yo-yo at Violet, only for her to dodge.

"Hahaha! You can't catch me, you careless lady!" Violet said, as she soon turned a corner.

"Not if I can say anything about it!" Blossom shouted, as she tried to turn the same corner, only…

Out of nowhere, Blossom was hit in the head by a wayward jawbreaker. This was starting to make her dizzy, and it turned out Violet was throwing jawbreakers all over Blossom, causing her to fall back a little bit.

"I love candy, but why use something so tasty against me?!" Blossom complained.

Buttercup was flying overhead, and saw Top Hat at the school that the girls attended.

"There's the little virus!" Buttercup shouted, as she landed on the ground to confront Top Hat.

"Can't catch me!" Top Hat shouted as he started scurrying around the schoolyard that was meant for the sports team.

"Hey! Stop that!" Buttercup shouted, as she summoned her hammer to her side to try squishing Top Hat.

Buttercup started to chase Top Hot around the soccer field.

"Aha!" Top Hat shouted, as he then leaped into a pile of soccer balls and started rummaging around within it.

"Get back here, you parasite!" Buttercup shouted.

Top Hat then came out of the pile with one of the balls that were at the bottom. This caused a soccer ball avalanche and then Buttercup found that she was about to be buried in soccer balls.

"Not the right sport for this, but batter up!" Buttercup shouted, as she held her hammer like a baseball bat.

She used her hammer to knock the soccer balls away, but she ended up getting hit in the stomach with a few of the balls. She was then knocked back into a wall.

"Man! These amoebas are becoming even more pesky than usual!" Buttercup shouted, a vein throbbing in her head. She was clearly unhappy about the situation, as Top Hat was jumping up and down on her stomach.

"The girls are really struggling with the Amoeba Boys today!" Ken said, as he was watching the scene from the lab.

"Let's call in Bridgette!" The Professor said.

"Are you sure?" Ken said. "She's not going to join the team, remember?"

Ken's words only fell upon deaf ears; the Professor said, "Poochi, you know what to do!"

"_Bridgette, we need you!" _Poochi shouted to the sky.

The signal traveled to Bridgette's belt. Bridgette was walking to her house, while feeling really upset with her situation.

"_Don't let them in… Don't let them see… Be the shut-in you always have to be." _Bridgette sang, as she tried to calm herself.

Just as she was relaxed, Bridgette's belt started beeping again; she loudly groaned, and she picked up, before angrily saying, "What is it?!"

"Bridgette, we really need your help here!" The Professor said. "The girls are struggling with the Amoeba Boys! You have to help."

"Tch… You mean to call me to help stop those three excuses for monsters? Blossom and the others are on their own." Bridgette said, hanging up.

The Professor groaned before saying, "Bridgette's so stubborn… What's her deal?"

"I don't know…" Ken said. "But what I _do_ know is that we need to get her to come around."

"But the question is _how_." Poochi said, as he rested in Ken's arms.

"This is going to be hard." The Professor said.

Bridgette then went back to her house. It was a simple house, meant for a family of two to four, and the exterior was rather plain, as it had silver as its main color motif.

Sighing, Bridgette opened the door and went inside before shutting it behind her. She then said, "Dad, I'm home."

"Ah, Bridgette," An older man, with magenta-purple eyes, brown hair, and wearing a beige suit said to her. "How was school today?"

"Eventful." Bridgette said, simply, as she then went upstairs into her bedroom, before shutting the door.

She sat down at her desk, and then she sadly said, "I don't believe this… I thought I would be able to keep this under wraps, but then _those three_ had to figure me out!"

Bridgette then slammed her balled fist onto the table, in anger, and then she said, "No… I'll never forget what happened to me…"

_~Flashback!~_

Bridgette and her father had just gotten off the plane at New Townsville Airport. She was looking up to the sky, sadly, and then she said, "I can't go back…"

Bridgette was packing a few bags into the back of cab that she and her father were to take to New Townsville.

"Things will be better here, Bridgette," Melvin said. "I promise you that."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, dad…" Bridgette said, sadly.

However, she looked up to the sky when she saw a White Z Ray coming straight at them. More specifically, it headed for her father.

"_DAD! LOOK OUT!"_ Bridgette hollered as she shoved her father out of the way.

Her father fell on the pavement and then Bridgette braced herself as she took in the White Z Ray.

"GAAAHH!" Bridgette shouted, as she was hit, and felt the energy pulse through her veins.

"Bridgette! No!" Melvin shouted, as he saw the events unfold.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

"Dad, are you okay?" Bridgette asked her father, as she helped him stand up.

"Um… Bridgette, how did your clothes change?" Melvin asked.

"Wait, what?" Bridgette asked.

"After that white light hit you, your clothes changed out of nowhere." Bridgette said.

"What the heck just happened?" Bridgette said, as she looked at herself, and then she was curious as to what was going on.

She looked in a mirror, and she said, "Nice clothes…"

However, when she got a better look, she noticed how her hair was styled: in a French braid.

"AH! What the heck is this?!" Bridgette shouted. "How did my hair get tied into a French Braid?! I _hate_ putting my hair up!"

_~End of Flashback~_

"First I have to move here with my father, then that white light just throws in a wrench." Bridgette complained.

Bridgette just decided to work on her homework as a way to take her mind off of the events that happened within the last week.

* * *

The girls regrouped above the city, and Blossom asked, "How did you do with Poncho and Top Hat?"

"I got hit in the stomach with soccer balls." Buttercup said, rubbing her stomach.

"Poncho tripped me up in the park." Bubbles said, rubbing her knees.

"Violet nearly broke my jaw throwing jawbreakers at me in the candy store." Blossom said, rubbing her mouth.

The trio then saw the Amoeba Boys then regroup, and then they fused together into the large, yellow blob from earlier.

"Not again!" Blossom said. "We have to deal with them as one giant blob _twice_ today?!"

"We're not going to get anywhere with this by hovering around; let's go!" Buttercup shouted, as the trio then attacked.

However, the Amoeba Boys caused problems for the girls by dodging every attack they had, and then they hit the girls with their large body and then the girls fell to the pavement, not able to get up.

"Man! That hurt!" Blossom said.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Buttercup said.

"We can't! Not without Bridgette!" Bubbles said.

"But girls, you heard what she said to us! She won't join the team!" Blossom said.

"Ken, we need to try again!" The Professor said, looking to his son.

"Are you sure about that?" Ken said.

"Yes, I am!" The Professor said.

"Poochi…" Ken said.

"Okay, fine… _Bridgette, we need you!_"

Back at her house, Bridgette's belt started beeping and flashing again. Rolling her eyes, Bridgette then picked up the compact and shouted, "What is it this time?! I'm doing my homework!"

The Professor fell sideways at her rudeness and then he said, "Sorry to interrupt, but we _really_ need you to help the girls! They're getting pummeled."

"Ugh, _FINE!_ If it will get you guys off my chest for once…" Bridgette said, as she hung up.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

"Time to help the hopeless trio…" Bridgette said, as she flew out the window of her house.

Melvin Hamilton then saw the pale pink light streak leave out of the house, and he sighed, saying, "There she goes again…"

He picked up the phone, and pressed in a few numbers before saying, "I'm going to have to take matter into my own hands…"

Bridgette followed the noise of the ruckus and saw the girls struggling to fight the Amoeba Boys.

"Man! I can't seem to land any hits with my yo-yo!" Blossom said, as the Amoeba Boys kept dodging her yo-yo.

"And my hammer isn't making a dent!" Buttercup complained, as she kept hitting the giant amoeba with her hammer, but nothing was working.

"My bubbles keep bouncing off!" Bubbles said, as she kept throwing bubbles at the giant amoeba, but got nothing.

"Those three really _do_ need my help…" Bridgette said, as she saw what was happening; she breathed a sigh of annoyance and then she flew on the scene.

"Finally, we've convinced her to help." Ken said, watching Bridgette help.

"But I don't think she's keen on becoming one of the girls' teammates." The Professor said.

"I wish we knew more about why she was so adamant about not joining us." Poochi said.

"I think I can answer that," A male voice said, and then the Professor turned around to see Bridgette's father, Melvin Hamilton, on the phone. "Please forgive the intrusion, but I can help you out."

"I beg your pardon, but who are you?" The Professor asked.

"Oh, forgive me," Melvin said, before chuckling sheepishly. "I'm Melvin Hamilton; I'm Bridgette's father."

"H-H-How did you find out about Bridgette's power and everything?! I-I-I mean…" The Professor said, in a panic.

"She saved me from the White Z Ray or whatever it was called and she turned into her heroine form right in front of my eyes; how can I not know?" Melvin said, with a smile.

"That explains that." Ken said.

"But what's this about giving us information on Bridgette?" The Professor said.

"I think it's best if we talk face-to-face; I'll be over there in a little while." Melvin said, before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Ken asked.

"Whatever it is, I hope it can help." The Professor said.

* * *

Bridgette was flying on the scene, seeing the mess the girls were in.

"Man! Bridgette, where are you?!" Buttercup shouted, angry.

"You called?" Bridgette said, hovering overhead, her arms crossed, and an annoyed look on her face.

"You're here!" Blossom said, tears of joy spilling.

"So you're finally joining the team?" Bubbles said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Bridgette said. "I'm only here because your so-called "Professor" hucked me into it."

"Hucked? You mean he threw you into this?" Bubbles asked.

Bridgette then fell sideways and then she shouted, "No! By "huck", I meant, "nag" – it's a Yiddish term!"

"Oh." The trio said.

However, Bubbles was thrown back into the wall, as were Buttercup and Blossom.

"You three really need to step up your game." Bridgette said.

"Do you mind giving us a hand, please?!" Buttercup shouted, angrily, a vein throbbing.

"Ugh, fine." Bridgette said, as she summoned her swords.

Bridgette then twirled her swords over her head before holding an attack stance with them in mid-air before she flew in, and then sliced the yellow amoeba in half. However, they recollected, and then Bridgette groaned.

Bridgette then tried a few more times consecutively, and just kept slashing and slicing the blob before the Amoeba Boys had enough and then they separated; unscathed, but pretty scared.

Bridgette then landed in front of them and then she said, "You might want to run, and I mean _NOW_!"

The Amoeba Boys then ran off, shouting, "You'll see us again."

"Thanks for that, Bridgette," Blossom said, as she and her friends landed behind Blossom. "You're really good with swords."

"Thanks for the compliment," Bridgette said, putting her swords away. "But don't think I'll be a part of the Powerpuff Girls after this."

Soon, the news crew gathered around out of nowhere and wanted to talk and interview Bridgette.

"Who are you?" "Are you a new member of the Powerpuff Girls Z?" "Name?" "When did you arrive on the scene?" "Are you the one who has been saving the PowerPuff Girls lately?"

"Everyone, please, calm down!" Blossom said. "Please, go easy on her!"

"Chill out!" Buttercup said. "She's new to this!"

"Please, back off!" Bubbles said, politely.

Bridgette soon got overwhelmed and then she shouted, _**"LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M NOT A POWERPUFF GIRL!"**_

Bridgette then flew off in fear, as she was totally psyched out about the sudden media pounce.

"Oh, great…" Blossom said, as she and her friends flew up to see Bridgette's retreating pink streak.

"What's her problem?" Buttercup asked, crossing her arms.

"I think we know." The Professor said, over the compact.

Blossom opened her compact up and then she said, "What's the matter, Professor?"

"We figured out what's keeping Bridgette from opening up. Come back to the lab and I'll explain there." The Professor said.

"You heard him, girls!" Blossom said.

"But wait!" Bubbles said, interrupting her friends. "Shouldn't we go get Bridgette?"

"I think it's best to leave her out of this one." Ken said.

"Okay." The girls said, before flying back to the lab, in the direction opposite of where Bridgette went.

* * *

Bridgette soon found herself at the highest building in the city, and she landed, feeling really upset; it was dusk, and she looked at the city, before sighing.

She decided that the best way to unleash her emotions was to sing; standing on the top of the tower, she took a deep breath to sing.

"_Let it go, let it go. Can't hold it back anymore. Let it go, let it go. Turn my back and slam the door." _Bridgette sang, before she sat down.

"_The lights glow bright in the city tonight; not a shadow to be seen,"_ Bridgette sang. _"A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm its queen." _

Standing up, Bridgette clutched her chest a bit, shedding a tear, while singing, _"The breeze is blowing like the pain I feel inside… Couldn't keep it in; the Lord knows I've tried."_

Bridgette then sang, _"Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the shut-in you always have to be! Conceal, don't feel! Don't let it show… What do they know?!"_

Bridgette then rose up into the air, feeling a little better, and as she began sky dancing, or such, Bridgette sang, _"Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore! Let it go! Let it go! Turn my back and slam the door!"_

Bridgette stood on the tower and then she spread her arms out, singing, _"And here I stand! And here I'll stay! Let it go! Let it go! The cold never bothered me anyway."_

Bridgette looked at the city from above and saw how small it looked from that high, and then she sang, _"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small."_

She then landed back on the building and spun around while singing, _"And the secrets that controlled me, can't get to me at all!"_

Bridgette turned her back to the city, and she sang, _"Up here in the city air, I finally can breathe."_

Bridgette then started getting tears in her eyes, with a smile, and she sang, _"I know a life I left behind, but I'm too relieved to grieve!" _

She then took off into the air to sky dance again, as she was zooming around the sky, feeling really happy and free; the whole time, she sang, _"Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore! Let it go! Let it go! Turn my back and slam the door!"_

Bridgette then pumped a fist, bent a leg, and she smiled while singing, _"And here I stand! And here I'll stay!"_

She flew off in another direction, happily, and then she sang, _"Let it go! Let it go! The cold never bothered me anyway!"_

Bridgette sang, feeling great, _"Standing, so free! In the life made for me! You won't find me! The past is so behind me! Flying in the sky!"_

Bridgette then landed back on the building while singing, _"Let it go… Let it go… Can't hold it back anymore…"_

She then took to flying in the air once more and started sang, _"Let it go! Let it go! Turn my back and slam the door! And here I stand! And here I'll stay! Let it go! Let it go! The cold never bothered me anyway!"_

"_Yeah, yeah! Oh! Let it go! Yeah, yeah! Na, na! Here I'll stay! Let it go! Let it go! Ooh! Let it go!" _Bridgette sang the last lines of the song as she landed back on the building, before sitting down, and relaxing, finally feeling at peace.

However, what she did not know was that her voice was so powerful and loud that it caught Mojo Jojo's attention.

"What was that singing just now? I must find the source of it!" Mojo said, as he got up and then started to look for the song's source. He got into one of his robots and left the hideout.

Using his Robo-Jojo, he walked through the city to find the source of the music.

"Where is that lovely melody coming from?" Mojo said. "If I can use it to help me take over the world, then I'll need it!"

Bridgette was still singing, but this time, it was a different song, and she felt better. She sang, _"For the first time in forever, I get the chance I'm dreaming of! A chance to change my lonely world. A chance to find true love…" _

Mojo heard Bridgette's singing, and then he found her sitting on the roof of the tallest building in the city.

"You're the smelly human girl who beat me up the other day, aren't you?!" Mojo shouted.

Bridgette looked behind her as Mojo's mechanical hand grabbed at her. Seeing where this was going, she screamed in fear.

* * *

Back at the lab, the girls, how had changed back, entered the lab to see the Professor talking with Melvin.

"They should be here soon… Oh, girls, you're here." The professor said, as he soon noticed Blossom and the others.

"Hi, Professor," Blossom said, but then she noticed Melvin. "Who's this?"

"Girls, I want you to meet Melvin Hamilton; he's Bridgette's father." Ken said, on his father's behalf.

"_HER FATHER?!" _The girls shouted at once.

"Yes, have you seen my daughter since the Amoeba Boy incident?" Melvin asked.

"Um, no, no! We haven't! We don't even know who…" Blossom said, waving her hands in a panic, trying to cover up how they knew Bridgette.

"Calm down, girls," The Professor said. "Melvin was there when Bridgette got her powers; he knows the whole story."

The girls then breathed sighs of relief before sitting down to ask the Professor what was going on.

"I think the reason why she's shutting you out and not embracing her powers is because she's still coping with the move here, as well as the divorce my ex-wife and I recently had," Melvin explained. "It must have really hurt her feelings to have her family split up all of a sudden."

"That must have been terrible." Bubbles said.

"I remember what she said: "I don't fall under the trope of "Broken Bird" for nothing". So _this _is what she meant!" Blossom realized.

"That explains a lot," Buttercup said. "It must have been tough on her to go through all of that."

"And being separated from her younger brother is no help, either. Those two were peas in a pod." Melvin explained.

"That makes complete sense," Ken said. "I had a hard time dealing with my mom leaving for a lunar space station."

"Now, Mr. Hamilton, I know it's going to be hard for you to hear this, but even if we _do _remove the Chemical Z from Bridgette, she's going to keep her powers no matter what," The Professor began. "So, I'm afraid I can't…"

"I don't want her powers removed." Melvin said.

"_YOU DON'T?" _The group said, in unison, surprised.

"I _want _her to keep her powers and become one of the PowerPuff Girls Z. It will be the best way for her to open up and heal." Melvin said.

"Are you sure?" Blossom said. "She's been so adamant about not joining that she ignored the calls a few times."

"I can't heal her because I'm partially responsible for her emotional state; I need to count on you girls to help her out. _Please_." Melvin said.

"We'll do everything we can!" Bubbles said. "We promise."

"But she's being very stubborn," Ken told Bubbles. "I'm not sure she'll come around that easily."

"She's always been like that," Melvin said, with a chuckle. "She's always had an "actions speak louder than words" attitude. Always a lone wolf or strays from the crowd; that sort of thing."

However, the mayor called, and said, "Professor! We've got trouble! Mojo's on a rampage again, but this time, he has a hostage! Look!"

The screen then changed into Mojo in his Robo-Jojo once again, and the monitor zoomed in to the hostage: Bridgette, who was struggling to break free from one of the mechanical hand.

"_It's Bridgette!" _The girls shouted.

"No!" Melvin said.

"Girls, you know what to do! Save Bridgette and the city!" The Professor said.

"Right!"

The girls then transformed and then they flew out of the lab, with Melvin shouting, "Be careful and make sure Bridgette is back unscathed and in one piece!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Hamilton!" Blossom shouted.

Bridgette was struggling to get out of the robot's mechanical hand.

"I can't get to my swords!" Bridgette muttered, as she struggled.

Mojo, meanwhile, was wrecking the city by punching and kicking buildings left and right.

He laughed while saying, "Hahaha! This will be great. Now, to add a little less racket…"

Mojo controlled the arm that had Bridgette in hand to move her in front of the cockpit and then he demanded, "You! Sing!"

"Oh, so _that's_ why you're holding me hostage? You're going to use me as a living iPhone for your own enjoyment? Sorry, you pathetic excuse for a primate, but I won't sing! Not for the likes of you!" Bridgette said, a vein throbbing in her forehead.

Mojo then used the other fist to punch another building down, while his face looked really angry.

"You do not want to end up like the buildings, do you?" Mojo said, with a smile.

Bridgette, keeping a good poker face on, shook her head slowly, and then Mojo's face became angry and then he shouted in Bridgette's face, "_THEN SING_!"

Bridgette then sang, _"I know it all ends tomorrow, so it has to be today! For the first time in forever… For the first time in forever… Nothing's in my way!"_

"That's better." Mojo said, as he kept wrecking the buildings.

"_STOP IT, MOJO!" _Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup shouted in unison.

As they landed on one rooftop nearby, and made a group pose, they shouted, _"You're not going to wreck the city as long as there's The Powerpuff Girls!"_

Bridgette's face did not change when she saw the girls, but her eyes were sparkling a little bit, feeling good that after all of the rudeness she gave them, the girls were still willing to help.

"You'd better let our friend go!" Blossom said.

"Hey! Who said I was your friend?!" Bridgette shouted, being stubborn.

"Hang tight, Bridgette! We'll get you out of there!" Buttercup shouted.

"How about a combination move?" Blossom said.

"_Great!" _Bubbles and Buttercup said, together.

"Yo-Yo Shot!" Blossom shouted, shooting energy in Bubbles' direction.

Bubbles caught the energy in her wand, and then she threw a few energy bubbles back in Blossom's direction, shouting, "Bursting Bubbles!"

Blossom caught the energy bubbles in her yo-yo, and then shot the energy blast back over in Buttercup's direction.

Buttercup caught the energy in her hammer. It immediately grew twice its size, turned orange, grew steel spikes, and electricity was sparking within each peg.

"Static Hammer Swing!" Buttercup shouted, as she hit Mojo's robot arm with her hammer, setting Bridgette free.

"And now for a double dose!" Buttercup said, about to swing again, but…

"Leave it to me!" Bridgette said, as she got in front of Buttercup, and then drew her swords. "I want payback for what this monkey did! Taking advantage of my singing voice!"

"Go for it!" Buttercup said.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "In the name of the blade, I will punish you!"

She then made a pose, and then Buttercup said, "Sailor Moon, much?"

Bridgette sweat dropped, but kept her poker face on, and then she just flew straight at Mojo's robot, cut through the arms, the legs, and glass parts of the robot while using her swords to damage the hull.

"Now for a new one! Cross Blade Slash!" Bridgette said. She moved her swords in an "X" motion and then it released a pale pink energy "X", which landed straight on Mojo and then it sent the monkey and his robot flying.

"That's a relief," Blossom said, and then turned to Bridgette. "I'm sorry about…"

However, they noticed Bridgette was crying, and then out of nowhere, Bridgette fell in to a group hug and started crying, "I was so scared!"

"You seemed pretty calm to us." Buttercup said.

Bridgette wiped tears from her eyes and then she said, "It's a tactic called a "poker face". A lot of times, in gambling or putting on a show, something may go wrong within the game. Whether your situation is good or bad and you have an advantage or not, you need to put on some kind of mask to hide it or people will get suspicious. I just used that tactic to my advantage."

"Nice work," Blossom said. "You certainly had us fooled."

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "And… I'm sorry."

"For what?" Bubbles asked.

"My rudeness and lack of response to the call," Bridgette said. "I've just been going through too many changes at once."

"Divorce, moving here, separation from a close family member?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette flinched, and then she asked, "How did you know about that?"

"Your dad came to the lab to talk about the situation with us. He wants you to actually be a member of the team." Bubbles explained.

"Figures he'd intercede like that." Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

"No worries," Blossom said. "We just hope you'll be a member of the team, now."

Bridgette put her usual face back on, and said, "I'm sorry."

The girls groaned, thinking Bridgette would turn them down again.

"For being so stubborn, that is," Bridgette said, causing the girls to smile. "I just hope that you can consider me a true member of this trio… Or, as of now, quartet!"

"This is great!" Blossom said.

The girls then flew into the sky, and the scene stopped with the main trio playing in the air, with Bridgette at the bottom of the group, laughing, and smiling.

* * *

**Now, the girls have a new friend on the team! That's great news! Now they can turn the tables and stop the monsters like never before! Let's just hope that we can see more of her in action!**

**Next time…**

**Bridgette: JUST when I was about to use some inspiration I got from this new bakery to bake something for my new friends, these five, ugly, green guys come in and take over!**

**Blossom: It's the Gangreen Gang!**

**Bubbles: Not them again!**

**Buttercup: Bridgette, they're complete pushovers; you can take care of them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next one! The girls, Ken, the Professor, and Poochi are at a bakery, enjoying some sweets, when all the Gangreen Gang come in and cause trouble! Bridgette's not about to let it go, and neither are any of the other girls. But when Bridgette goes "Heroine" and really gives the Gangreen what for, she ends up getting more than she bargained for when they fight back!**

* * *

_A Lean Mean, Gangreen Gang Machine!_

Blossom and the rest of the gang, the Professor, Ken, and Poochi included, were at a new bakery that had just opened up.

Blossom was chowing down on sweets in general. She ate pieces of pie, cupcakes, tarts, and such, while the rest of the group was slowly eating their orders.

"MMM! This bakery is so good! Their pastries are amazing!" Blossom said, her mouth partially full.

"Blossom, it's rude to eat with your mouth full." Bubbles said, as she was slowly eating a piece of lemon pie.

"Yeah," Buttercup said, swallowing some of her blueberry tart. "You'll spit on the rest of our food."

"Buttercup and Bubbles are right," The Professor said. "If you want to be out in public, you can't talk with your mouth full."

Ken was eating a raspberry cupcake with blackberry icing, and he loved it. Poochi was not given any sweets for obvious reasons. That, and the fact that Poochi was a robot also prevented him from having sweets.

Bridgette was slowly eating her piece of chocolate cake, and she soon gave a full oral report of the cake's ingredients and properties after one bite.

"This cake was definitely made with cake flour, and maybe a little bit of pastry flour. The texture is soft and cake-like, too; definitely a sign of a low protein content and very minimal gluten production. I also speculate that the cocoa powder was Dutch processed cocoa, because the chocolate flavor is more apparent. This is something that can't be attained with natural cocoa powder; it's not easily dissolved in water. This cake is a liquid base with no solid fat in the cake itself because the cake it soft and tender. And there's no doubt that the frosting is no doubt fudge-icing base with powdered sugar beat into it. There's no question about it! This cake is no doubt one of the best I've ever tasted!" Bridgette said, as she took another bite of the cake.

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other in surprise before turning back to Bridgette. The girls were very surprised at how good Bridgette was at identifying ingredients.

"You can tell all of that just from one bite?" Buttercup asked.

"Well, sort of. I've had some formal training in this field," Bridgette said, waving her hand in dismissal for a second. "I'm actually aiming to become a pastry chef, myself."

"That's great!" Bubbles said. "I'm sure you'll be excellent!"

"Thanks," Bridgette said, with a smile and laugh. She then took another bite of her cake. "I can always make more cupcakes for us some time later."

"That would be great!" Blossom said, as she got stars in her eyes.

"Blossom, you're eating a lot of sweets right now as it is," Bubbles said. "You'll make yourself sick if you eat too much."

"Bubbles is right about that," Ken said. "Moderate what you eat, okay?"

"Okay, fine…" Blossom said, as she kept eating.

However, the door slammed open, and then the group looked behind them to see the Gangreen Gang come in. The leader was a tall man with black hair, peach fuzz, and black sunglasses. Another one was wearing a sailor uniform with shorts rather than a skirt, and her hair was blue, and she had a large nose. There was a smaller one who was a little fat, his teeth were showing, and he was hanging on a taller version of himself, who had his tongue sticking out and did not say a thing. Finally, there was a really large, both in height and weight, his hair over his face, only showing one eye, and it was clear that his clothes were too small for him. One thing they all had in common was they had green skin.

"Um… Since when is green skin a fashion trend?" Bridgette asked the girls, in a hushed whisper.

"It's not a trend," Blossom said. "It's the Gangreen Gang."

"Say what?" Bridgette asked. "Is it because they're green _and_ a gang? Is that how they came up with Gangreen?"

"We're not sure, but I think that's how." Bubbles said.

"This could be trouble." Buttercup said, as she went back to eating her blueberry tart, but kept an eye on the Gangreen Gang.

"They're radiating a dark aura, that much I can tell," Bridgette said. "They'd better not cause any problems."

"Yo!" The leader shouted. "Five orders of the chef's special! Make it quick."

The cashier sweat dropped, and then the girl said, "And they'd better be delicious or there'll be a problem!"

"Um, right away!" The cashier said, as she ducked down to get their order from the case.

The Gangreen Gang then sat at the table across from the girls', and Bridgette was curious as to their reasons for their order.

"They want five of the lemonade-lime cupcakes?" Bridgette said, out loud.

"Quiet! You'll get their attention!" Blossom said.

"Sorry, Blossom, but I just don't understand why the Gangreen Gang chose that particular cupcake," Bridgette said. "I tried it once before, and it's phenomenal."

"Why does it taste so good?" Bubbles asked.

Bridgette then went into Cake Connoisseur mode and then as the background went to pink with stars, she said, "The lemon sponge cake has _the_ perfect balance of tartness from the lemons and sweetness from the sugar in the pastry. The butter in the recipe was melted, no doubt! It takes a lot of skill and confidence to create a formula for a lemon cake that well with just the right flavor balance. The lime curd filling has the perfect tartness to counteract the sweetness of the cake, as well. And the lime and lemon zest that was put into the Swiss Meringue buttercream adds a pleasantly acidic note to the sweet, creamy frosting. Just fabulous! And decorating the top with a candy lime wedge, along with a candy lemon wedge, with yellow and green sprinkles on top makes the cupcake literally a feast for the eyes and delivers a message of what's in the cupcake! The green cupcake wrapper puts the icing on the cake by adding some green to the yellow cake for a color balance. It's just perfect!"

Ace seemed to overhear her, and then he shouted at Bridgette, "So, you admit we have good taste in baked goods?"

"I never said you didn't." Bridgette said back, with keen wit, albeit she was nervous.

"Here's your order, sir." The cashier said, as she put the cupcakes on the table, and then immediately dashed back.

Bridgette immediately got a chill up her spine, and then she said, "I have a sneaking suspicion something bad is going to happen…"

"With the Gangreen Gang, it's a guarantee." Ken said.

"No, my instincts are rarely off-target." Bridgette said, as she rubbed her shoulders.

She then turned to look at the Gangreen Gang, as saw that they were enjoying their cupcakes. However, Ace whispered something in Ivy's ear and then all of a sudden, he started coughing heavily and loudly. He clutched his chest and bent over a little bit.

Bridgette narrowed her eyes at the scene a little bit, and then she thought, _'Those guys are SO faking it!'_

"Hey! Get the manager out here!" Lil' Arturo shouted, as Ivy took Ace's shoulders, with false concern on her face.

The manager, another woman in a chef's uniform with black hair in a bob cut then came in and said, "Is there something wrong!"

"You need to compensate! Our friend here is allergic to limes! And he ate the lemonade-lime cupcake!" Arturo shouted.

The woman gasped, before saying, "You should have told us that your friend had a citrus allergy!"

"We **– Cough**** – **want new cupcakes! **Cough** – And if I get out of this in one piece **– Cough –** I'm suing the store!" Ace coughed.

Bridgette stood up and walked over to the group of five.

"Bridgette, what are you doing?!" Buttercup asked.

"Giving them a piece of my mind!" Bridgette said.

She then approached the manager, who was getting bombarded with demands from Ivy, shouting, "You'd better let us eat for free!"

"Stop it!" Bridgette said, as she approached**.**

"Can I help you, miss?" The manager said.

"These goons are faking the whole allergy thing! For one thing, they knew that the cupcake had lemons and limes to begin with! I also noticed that this person isn't coughing too hard; he can still speak clearly. One more thing: allergies can include hives, and the only thing wrong I see with his skin is the fact that it's _GREEN!_" Bridgette shouted.

"You can't be serious!" Big Billy said.

"I _am_," Bridgette said. "And your friend here is faking it. I can tell; you need to work on your acting!"

"Get out! All five of you!" The manager said.

"What?! No way!" Ivy said.

"The customers are being bothered by your obnoxious behavior! It's bad for business. So scram!" Bridgette said, pointing to the door.

Arturo then grabbed the manager by her jacket and then he said, "You don't know who you're messing with!"

_'She might not, but I certainly do…' _Bridgette thought, sweat dropping.

"Bridgette, come on!" Blossom silently mouthed, as she pointed to the women's room.

Bridgette then followed her friends into the girls' bathroom to transform.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose for the first time since Bridgette's arrival.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

"Nice work! You really got into the group routine quickly." Blossom praised.

"I'm a fast learner." Bridgette said, with a giggle.

The girls then came out of there and then Blossom said, "Hey!"

The Gangreen Gang then turned to face the quartet, and then the main trio came forward.

"_Faking your health isn't going to get you anywhere! Now you have to face us! The Powerpuff Girls Z!" _The main trio said.

"Now with a new member!" Blossom said, and then Bridgette came forward.

"The new girl on the team! _Bridgette Z!_" Bridgette sang, before making her pose.

"Oh, come on, now there's _four _of you?!" Ace complained.

"See? You're perfectly fine if you can react that way." Bridgette said, glaring at Ace.

"So, you're new? Then I guess you're ill-prepared for the five of us!" Ace said, as he prepared his deck of cards.

"This is no place to fight," Bridgette said, firmly. "If we want to fight it out, let's take it outside where no one will get hurt. Except maybe the five of you."

"Fine! But you've got no clue what you're up against!" Arturo said.

The group of nine then went outside in a more isolated part of the area to avoid any property or bodily damage to anyone.

"Billy, get them!" Ace shouted.

Billy was about to tackle the quartet; the girls braced themselves and were about to get hit when Buttercup ran up and used her leg to do a back flip and then kicked Billy backwards.

She shouted, "You need to lose some weight!"

Bridgette stifled a laugh and then she said, "Good one, Buttercup."

Lil' Arturo then started running around all over the place, tripping the girls up, trying to tire them out by causing them to chase him around.

The girls stopped to breath a little bit, and then they managed to catch their breath.

"This little vermin…!" Bridgette said.

"Vermin? Isn't that a bit harsh?" Blossom asked.

"No." Bridgette said, rolling her eyes.

Blossom then took out her yo-yo and then she tied Arturo up before throwing him back to the Gangreen Gang.

"Here they come again!" Bridgette said, bracing herself.

Ivy snuck up behind Blossom and started to massage her arm, causing Blossom to start dozing off.

"Blossom, this is no time to get your arm massaged!" Buttercup shouted.

Bubbles then shouted, "Bursting Bubbles!"

She released a few bubbles at Ivy, and then as they started popping and hitting her, Ivy backed off, shouting, "Ack! Soap in my eyes!"

Buttercup then turned around and saw Grubber, morphed into Bridgette, but his face and skin color were still the same.

"Nice try, Grubber!" Buttercup said, before swinging her hammer at him, knocking him out.

Ace then started throwing his cards at Bubbles, but Bridgette shouted, "Hit the deck!"

Bridgette shoved Bubbles out of the way and she dodged the cards herself. After stumbling back a little bit, she turned to the Gangreen Gang and then she said, "You guys are a waste of my time! You haven't even seen what I can do yet!"

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Ace asked, as he was out of cards.

"This!" Bridgette said, as she summoned her swords.

The entire gang flinched as they saw the large blades, and then Bridgette did a spin on her sole before slicing the air, releasing two pale pink energy blasts; she shouted, _"Steel Slice!"_

The energy hit the Gangreen Gang and then they were sent flying.

Bridgette put the swords away and then she said, "That was easy."

"They've always been pushovers." Buttercup said.

"Let's call it a day and head back to the lab, girls." The Professor said, as he, Ken, and Poochi then came out of the bakery.

"_Okay!" _The girls said, as they then hopped into the van to go back to the lab.

"That was too easy." Bridgette said, as she reclined on the chair.

"It's like that every time." Blossom said.

Meanwhile, the Gangreen Gang had landed back at their hideout, and then they all managed to get up.

"Man… That was intense!" Ace said, as he got up on his knees.

"That was too much!" Arturo said. "Three girls was bad enough, but now _four?!_"

"Swords, huh?" Big Billy said. "Mama never used that on me."

Grubber just made grunting noises.

"I think she's just too strong for us," Ivy said. "What do you think, Ace?"

"There's got to be a way to get rid of her!" Ace said.

"We'll think of something!" Arturo said, as the group then got their thinking caps on.

"Hey! What about one of those robots Mojo Jojo always builds?" Big Billy suggested. "We can always create one of our own, only bigger, better, and stronger!"

"That's a great idea! Now, let's go and get ourselves a bigger robot!" Ace said.

The group of five then left the hideout to try and find Mojo's hangout to build a large robot.

* * *

Bridgette, meanwhile, had made it back home in one piece, and then she said, "Dad, I'm home."

"Oh, Bridgette, how was the new bakery?" Her father asked, as he put the newspaper down.

"I would have enjoyed my cake much better if these five, large, green guys hadn't come in and stirred up trouble; their leader faked a lime allergy!" Bridgette said.

"Faked a lime allergy?" Melvin asked.

"It turned out these guys were some monsters called The Gangreen Gang." Bridgette explained.

"I'm just glad you and the girls took care of it and made it back in one piece," Melvin said. "How tough was it fighting them?"

"Piece of cake, pun intended." Bridgette said, and then both she and her father started laughing heartily.

"So, now that you're home, what are you doing to do?" Melvin asked.

"I'm not going to sit around and wait for the Powerpuff Girls to get called in," Bridgette said. "I'm gonna hit the kitchen!"

"Hahaha! Cue the sweet teeth!" Melvin said, with a laugh.

Bridgette then ran into the kitchen, and she put on a pink apron with a bejeweled cupcake design on the front. After words, she started getting out cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and such, to bake some cake or cupcakes for her friends.

"You certainly know where you're going with this." Melvin said.

"After our snack at the bakery was ruined by the Gangreen Gang, I thought I'd cheer the girls up by making some cupcakes of my own." Bridgette said, as she started to mix the dry ingredients together.

"That's sweet of you, no pun intended." Melvin said, but both Melvin and Bridgette started laughing, anyway.

Meanwhile, the Gangreen Gang had snuck into Mojo's hideout and they were rummaging around for robot parts. Mojo was outside the hideout at the time.

"I found a large robot here!" Ivy said, out of nowhere, and then the Gang turned to a fairly large robot that did not have the usual motif of Mojo Jojo on it.

"This is perfect!" Ace said. "Now to get extra parts and then build this thing to become so powerful that the Powerpuff Girls, especially that Bridgette, can't stop us!"

The five of them then hauled the robot out of the hideout and then they hauled it back to their place to fix it up.

Ivy was using a screwdriver to tighten some lose screws to fix the hull while Ace was doing some decorating. Big Billy was using his weight and strength to bend or mold some of pieces of the sheet metal to fix the holes. Arturo was running around, helping Grubber adjust some of the wiring in the robot while helping the rest of the team out.

"This is going to be the strongest robot in history!" Ace said. "No one will be able to stop us!"

Bridgette, sensing trouble, felt a chill do down her spine again, and then she nearly dropped the egg she was about to crack.

"Bridgette, are your instincts kicking in again?" Melvin asked.

"Yes, I'm sensing the Gangreen Gang is going to be causing trouble again…" Bridgette said, as she calmed down and then got back to work.

* * *

At the lab, Blossom and the others were discussing how Bridgette handled herself around the Gangreen Gang.

"She did great!" Buttercup said. "She's kick-butt!"

"Bridgette certainly has a temper on her, but she knows how to keep it in check," Blossom said. "But I think that calling Lil' Arturo "vermin" was going a bit too far."

"I still can't believe that even the sight of her swords causes monsters to flee." Buttercup said.

"I guess because they're just so intimidating when compared to our weapons." Blossom suggested.

"It's too bad the Gangreen Gang ruined our treat," Bubbles said. "That lemon pie was delicious."

"And that blueberry tart was the best I ever tasted." Buttercup said, as she imagined the tart piece she did not get to finish; she slumped back into the chair.

"All of those cakes were so good!" Blossom complained.

"Blossom, you eat more than enough sweets," Ken said, from the side. "I think you can last a little while without cake or such for the time being."

"Okay…" Blossom said.

Bridgette, meanwhile, was using her electric mixer to whip up ten egg whites, to make Swiss meringue buttercream frosting for the cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves were chocolate, and they were in the oven, baking.

"The girls are going to love these!" Bridgette said, as she took out a few more materials.

She took out some plastic pastry bags, some metal piping tips, a few couplers, a few canisters of food colorings, in dry form, and some sprinkles and other candies.

"Time to go all out!" Bridgette said, pumping a fist.

Bridgette filled a pastry bag with some of the buttercream that she had dyed pink; there was another one dyed blue, a third dyed red, and finally, one that was dyed green.

Bridgette piped frosting flowers in all of the colors that she had on the cupcakes, and she was putting in every possible detail that she could to make them realistic. The thing about flowers and nature that she knew was that it was not perfect; she learned that if one made the candy decorations flawless, then they would not be pulled off correctly.

"Now for sprinkles!" Bridgette said, as she picked up some yellow shimmer dust and then sprinkled it all over the cupcakes that she made, being careful not to spill.

Soon, once she was done, she cleaned up the dishes and put away her ingredients. She put the leftover buttercream in the refrigerator and cleaned all of her supplies.

The cupcakes consisted six, giant, red poinsettias, which were intended for Blossom. The six, large, blue daisies were for Bubbles; the large, pale green rosettes were meant for Buttercup, and finally, the large, pink roses were for Bridgette. Each one had frosting leaves and some kind of shimmer dust on them for decorations.

"Perfect!" Bridgette said, as she began to pack the cupcakes up for her friends.

She took off her apron and put it in the laundry basket before telling her dad, "Dad, I'm going to call the girls before I head off, okay?"

"Don't you want to surprise them?" Melvin said.

"They may not be at the lab." Bridgette said, as she picked up her compact and called the girls.

The girls' belt buckles started flashing and beeping, and then Blossom picked up, before asking, "Bridgette? What's the problem?"

"Are you three at the lab?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes." The trio said, within the same compact.

"I'll be over there in a little while," Bridgette said. "I have a surprise."

Bridgette then hung up and picked up the cupcake boxes.

"Bridgette has a surprise for us?" Blossom said, her mouth having an animated cupcake inside.

"If it's more sweets, we're going to get stomachaches…" Buttercup said.

"Blossom, you're going to get sick if you eat that much sugar," Bubbles said. "But that's only assuming that's what Bridgette's surprise for us is."

"I know, but I still can't wait!" Blossom said.

* * *

Bridgette was walking up the street to the lab, carrying her cupcakes.

"This is some of my best work, yet!" Bridgette said. "I hope the girls like them!"

Bridgette stopped in her tracks when she saw people from everywhere running away in fear and such. They were screaming like little kids, but with good reason, and Bridgette was confused about what was going on.

"What's that about?" Bridgette inquired.

However, she heard mechanical arms or legs moving around, and turning around, Bridgette gasped as she got her answer.

She saw a giant robot that was made into a giant, green, metallic lizard of sorts. The robot had large, mechanical claws at its hands, which were piloted by Big Billy and Arturo. Grubber and Ivy were piloting the legs and feet, which had larger claws on them. And finally, Ace was piloting the head of the robot, which consisted of a huge head that was metallic and green, with scales on top of its head consisting of more metal parts and such.

"Not the Gangreen Gang again!" Bridgette said, as she stepped backwards a bit.

The Gangreen Gang manipulated some of the controls, and Big Billy smashed the building that was above Bridgette. Some debris was falling on to her, and Bridgette freaked out; she dropped the cupcake boxes and made a mad dash to get herself out of harm's way.

"AAAHH!" Bridgette screamed, as she ran.

Ducking down an alley, Bridgette managed to catch her breath and then she watched from inside as the Gangreen Gang was wrecking the city more efficiently than Mojo ever could.

"What the heck…" Bridgette said, as she was _not_ happy about the scene she was seeing.

Bridgette soon saw that some of the concrete had fallen on her cupcake boxes, and it left a crushed box in a pile of smashed cake, crumb-filled frosting, torn wrappers, and broken decorations.

She got _really angry _at this, and then she took out her belt buckle, ready to jump into action.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

There was a signal at the lab, and then Ken told Blossom and the others, "Bridgette's transformed!"

"And that's not all. Look!" The Professor said, as he pointed to the monitor, seeing a large robot that the Gangreen Gang was piloting.

"Why do I feel they stole that thing off of Mojo?" Buttercup said.

"That's most likely what it is," Blossom said. "Let's go and help Bridgette, girls!"

Meanwhile, Bridgette flew up to approach the robot, shouting, "Hey! Stop that!"

In the cockpit, Ace turned the robot around to Bridgette and then he said, "Just who we were looking for! Bridgette of the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Look, it's bad enough Mojo does this on a nearly-daily basis, but the five of you? That's just old…" Bridgette said, as she face-palmed herself.

"We'll see about that!" Ace shouted, as he then manipulated the controls for the head and then he shot a blast of fire or something at Bridgette.

Bridgette then did an air-dance of sorts to dodge the air and then she summoned both her swords this time.

"Do you really think you can wreck the city with me around? You're being idiots!" Bridgette said, as she prepared to attack.

Bridgette then flew in and swiped at the robot with her swords, only for the blade to hit the robot, and it caused the blade, and Bridgette, to vibrate.

Ivy controlled her hand and threw Bridgette against the wall of another building before shouting, "Looks like you're not so tough now."

Bridgette got out of the crater she unintentionally made and she prepared her swords for another assault.

"_Steel Slice!" _Bridgette shouted, as her swords charged up energy, and she released it in two, pale pink slashes. However, the attack merely bounced off the hull of the robot and was sent back at Bridgette.

"Ack!" Bridgette shouted, as she was hit by her own move. She staggered in mid-air a little bit, but she managed to get herself back upright.

"Don't worry, Bridgette, we're here!" Bubbles said, as she, Buttercup, and Blossom all made it to the scene.

"Perfect timing, girls! My swords aren't making a dent!" Bridgette said, as she smiled and made it to her friends.

"If your swords can't damage that thing, then why not we try a combination move?" Blossom suggested.

"Combination moves? Is that possible?" Bridgette asked.

"Yeah, we've done it tons of times before," Blossom said. "So, let's do it again, but have _you_ deliver the final blow this time."

"That's a great idea!" Bridgette said. "I can't wait to see what else we can do."

"Alright, girls, you know the drill!" Blossom said.

However, the Gangreen Gang launched another attack and the girls just barely dodged it and got out of the way in time.

"Everyone okay?" Bubbles asked.

"We're good." Buttercup confirmed.

"Now to teach those bakery-wreckers a lesson!" Bridgette said, a vein throbbing in her forehead and fire surrounding her.

"I've never seen you this angry before…" Blossom said.

"When someone wrecks the perfectly-good artwork that is a hand-decorated cupcake, how can I stay calm?" Bridgette said.

"Okay!" Blossom said, as she launched an energy blast in Bubbles' direction.

She caught the energy in her wand, created static energy bubbles in it, and then launched them in Buttercup's direction. Buttercup hit the energy blast in Bridgette's direction, who caught it in her swords.

"Nice! Loving the energy surge here!" Bridgette said.

Her swords were glowing a pale pink, and raining sparkles all over herself. The blades grew longer and then she put both her swords together before confronting the Gangreen Gang.

"H-H-Hey! Wh-What are you doing to do with those swords of yours?" Ace asked, while speaking from inside the mecha.

"Put a hole in it!" Bridgette said, as she then unleashed the energy blast while shouting, _"Sword Of Passion!"_

Bridgette's energy blast was in the form of a large sword in pale pink with sparkles and then once it hit the robot, smoke appeared out of nowhere from the impact.

The girls were coughing at this, as were the Gangreen Gang, and once the smoke cleared, the girls soon saw that the robot was still in one piece, yet there was some significant damage to it.

"How is that thing still standing?!" Buttercup asked.

"These guys are better at building mechas than Mojo is." Blossom said.

"What are we going to do?" Bubbles asked, bracing herself with her wand.

"We stick together, that's what." Bridgette said.

"What?" Blossom asked.

"Just like it takes many pieces to put a puzzle together, or many ingredients to bake a cake or other pastry, it takes more than one person to take this thing down. There's no 'I' in "team"." Bridgette said.

"Wow…" Bubbles said.

"Which is why it's going to take one more combination move for us to blow that thing to bits!" Bridgette said.

However, the Gangreen Gang then shouted, "Not if we have anything to say!"

The robot's arms then swung at the girls, and Bridgette shouted, _"SCATTER!"_

The girls flew off in different directions, avoiding the arms, and then Bridgette saw some weak spots in the metal on the robot: rust.

"Girls! Some of the parts are rusted! And I mean literally! We need to attack the rusted parts." Bridgette said.

"Good thinking, Bridgette!" Blossom said, as she then she shouted, "Rode-Yo-Yo!"

She shot her yo-yo at a rusted joint, and then one of the legs fell off the robot before hitting the ground with a loud "bang", and Ivy lost control of the leg.

Buttercup then used her hammer on a rusted arm joint, and it fell off; this time, Big Billy lost control of the arm.

Bubbles blew some bubbles at another rusted leg joint and then Bridgette used her swords on the last leg joint. Both arm and leg fell off, and then the girls regrouped for a little bit.

"Talk about losing an arm and a leg!" Bridgette said, causing the girls to burst out in laughter.

"You may have rendered my friends' controls useless, but you still have me to deal with!" Ace said, as he soon manipulated a few levers and hit a few switches.

Soon, a few missals were fired at the girls; they screamed and then they flew out of the way of the missals. Bridgette managed to slice the explosive rockets in half on time, and then she turned to Ace, with anger all over her facial expression.

"Okay, that's just pathetic!" Bridgette shouted.

"Isn't there a rust spot near the neck joint?" Buttercup asked.

"I can't see any from this angle." Bridgette said.

"Let's look around, then," Bubbles said. "Shall we?"

"_LET'S!" _The other three said, as they then started flying around the robot as if they were planes flying around King Kong.

"Bingo!" Bridgette said, as she soon saw a rusted spot near the neck joint.

"These parts must have been in a fairly wet space for them to be all rusted like this." Blossom said.

"Never mind that!" Buttercup said. "We've got work to do!"

Buttercup then summoned her hammer and then she said, _"Megaton Hammer!"_

She then slammed the rusted part of the joint and then the head fell over.

The robot collapsed as a total and then when the dust cleared, the Gangreen Gang was knocked out and they were all covered in bruises and scratches.

"They say, "there's no cure for gangrene", but that's not really true," Blossom said. "And seeing these guys all in one pile proves it.

The girls then landed on the ground, and Bridgette walked over to the broken cupcake box that was crushed in all of the excitement.

"That's a _wrap_." Bridgette said, as she picked up one of the torn cupcake wrappers, and showed them to her friends.

The girls then laughed once again and then Blossom said, "I had no idea you were so good at puns."

"Thanks, albeit my sense of humor is, for lack of a better word, lacking." Bridgette said.

"Nonsense," Buttercup said. "You're cracking me up."

"Anyway, let's get back to the lab," Bridgette said. "Because I think I have just the thing to cheer all of us up!"

* * *

Back at the lab, Bridgette was sifting several dry ingredients into a bowl; her friends were watching her from outside the kitchen in the lab.

"What is she doing?" Buttercup asked.

"I think she's baking." Blossom said, beginning to drool.

"_Sometimes it's hard to know… Which way you're supposed to go. But deep inside, you know you're strong. If you follow your heart, you can't be wrong…" _Bridgette sang, as she started mixing eggs, oil, and water into the flour mixture, making a chocolate cake batter.

She got out a muffin tin and lined it with pink, red, blue, and green cupcake liners and then filled them with the batter before putting them in the oven.

"_Hold on! (Hold on!) We're friends for life, and if we come together as one, complete the quest that we've begun, we will win the battle…" _Bridgette sang, as she began decorating the cupcakes.

Once again, it was the same cupcake design she initially used before the Gangreen Gang wrecked them.

She set them down on the table and then she said, "Come and get it!"

"Wow, Bridgette, these edible flowers are so realistic, it's like you just picked flowers and put them on the cupcake!" Blossom said, as she ate one of the red poinsettia flowers.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "I've been decorating cupcakes and such for years."

"You'll be a great pastry chef!" Bubbles said.

"No kidding," Buttercup said. "These are delicious! And so life-like!"

Bridgette then blushed and smiled, and then she said, "Eat up; there's plenty!"

The girls then started laughing as they ate the cupcakes, and soon, the Professor, Ken, and Poochi started eating them, too.

"We're like peas in a pod, and we're like icing on the cake!" Bridgette said, with a smile and wink, with a pink tint on her cheeks.

* * *

**That's a wrap for this chapter, pun intended! I hope you all liked it! Now, it's not what I had for chapter 3 the first time, but it's something, right? Now, before I forget, THERE ARE SUCH THINGS AS CITRUS ALLERGIES. They're just not that common, and they can fade in and out as time goes on. As for the song, that was "Battle Cry - (Stand Up!)", the theme song for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles.**

**Next time…**

**Bubbles: I don't believe it…! You're out!**

**?: Yes, I am. I couldn't have gotten out of there without you at my side. I just hope **_**that**_** doesn't come around again…**

**Bridgette: Who's this?**

**Buttercup and Blossom: *Giggles* Bubbles' first love! **

**Bridgette: Wait, what?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter! And I can't wait for this one in particular! For all of you PPGZXRRBZ fans, TOUGH COCONUTS, BUT THAT AIN'T HAPPENING IN _THIS_ ONE!**

**Bubbles' first love, Cody (Takaaki), is **_**FINALLY **_**released from the hospital and he's determined to play catch-up with Bubbles, and finally make a move towards something **_**more**_** than friends. However, when his Black Z Rays start acting up again, can he keep it under control long enough to tell Bubbles his true feelings?**

* * *

_Cope, Cody!_

The scene narrows in on New Townsville Children's Hospital, a kids' hospital for those with serious ailments or such. They had patients with broken bones to cancer and everything in between.

In one particular hospital room, there was a specific patient who had been in there for quite some time. Nine years, to be precise; today was the day he was _finally_ going to leave permanently. The boy was a dirty blond with sky-blue eyes. He was looking out the window, while packing up his bag to finally leave the hospital.

"Finally, the day is here…" He said, as he looked out the window. He smiled and then stretched his arms.

A nurse then came in, and said, "Are you ready to head home?"

"I sure am," The boy said. "I've been stuck in here for nine years; it's finally time for me to leave! I couldn't be happier."

The boy then picked up his suitcase, and ran out of the hospital room.

After running down the stairs, saying goodbye to the doctors and nurses at the hospital, and then exiting out the front door, he jumped into the air, and shouted, "I'M FREE!"

He saw four, colored light streaks in the air, but paid particular attention to the blue one. Getting a better look, he saw Bubbles, and then he smiled calmly, not paying any attention to the other three.

"Thank you…" The boy said, as he blushed a little bit while looking at Bubbles from below.

* * *

The next day, the girls were walking to school, talking about their usual things. Bridgette was talking to the girls about the latest issue of a cake-decorating magazine.

"It has a lot of new techniques in it, like marzipan, sugar diamonds, and everything in between. Modeling chocolate, royal icing, you name it! It's _the_ go-to magazine for everything cake decorating!" Bridgette said, as she held up the issue for the girls to see.

"Wow, those cakes look so delicious… It's almost a shame to eat them!" Blossom said.

"They're pictures, anyway," Buttercup said. "Not like you _can_ eat them."

"Right," Bubbles said. "I'm pretty sure they've already been eaten."

"No, they're not even edible. In fact, just like there are mannequins for clothing stores, the base for these cakes is Styrofoam, anyway. It would be poisonous to eat them; the decorating on top _is_ real, though." Bridgette explained.

"Why would they use Styrofoam?" Blossom said.

"To make a presentation that lasts," Bridgette told her friends. "A real cake would just go stale and such and attract vermin, so they use a false cake to give a permanent presentation in the store without having to put it up for sale."

"That must be intriguing…" Bubbles said, absentmindedly. She looked in the direction of the Children's Hospital, and she sighed sadly as she saw it from the distance.

"Bubbles, what's wrong?" Blossom asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Bubbles said, dismissing it. "I'm just a little distracted by my own thoughts."

Blossom and Buttercup just looked at each other in concern, while Bridgette was left in the dark on the issue for the time being.

The girls just continued to walk to their classroom for the day, and then they all sat down in their assigned seats.

"Okay, class, I know we just had Bridgette join us, but someone new is coming today," Miss Keane said, as she walked into the room. "He was just discharged from the hospital yesterday on account of a weak and sick heart, but now he's strong enough to run around freely."

Bubbles perked up when she heard this; she thought, _'It can't be… Can it?'_

Seeing Bubbles' attitude change, Buttercup and Blossom looked at each other and smiled, with the both of them thinking, _'I'll bet we know who it is!'_

"Everyone, please, welcome Cody to our class." Ms. Keane said.

In came the same dirty blond, blue-eyed boy that had left the hospital the day before.

"He's cute!" "He looks like he's a little older, though." "Must've been in the hospital a long time to be in a lower grade for his age."

"Cody!" Bubbles said, delighted, as she stood up; seeing him again had just made her day.

Hearing her voice, Cody looked in Bubbles' direction; seeing her, his cheeks tinted pink, he smiled, and said, "Hey, Bubbles!"

He made a beeline for Bubbles' seat and then once he got there, he stopped in front of her desk.

"You're finally out of the hospital!" Bubbles said, her cheeks reddening. "I went to see you yesterday, but you weren't in your room!"

"I got discharged before you came by. And it's thanks in part to you and your friends, Bubbles," Cody said. "Mainly, you, though."

Cody then got down on one knee and then he took one of Bubbles' hands. The rest of the class started getting excited at this, and then Bubbles blushed at Cody's action.

"What? Is he going to propose to her or something?" "Talk about chivalrous; do they know each other?" "If they do, then Bubbles certainly hasn't brought him up any time before."

"I'm so happy that I'm in the same class as you, Bubbles," Cody said, with an amorous look in his eyes and a loving smile on his lips. "I wanted to surprise you by finding you at your school; ending up in the same class just made my surprise easier to carry out."

"Oh, Cody…" Bubbles said, blushing, as a very sweet, romantic mood was being created between the two of them.

Cody then said, "Thank you for everything, Bubbles. You… Practically saved my life."

Bubbles and Cody blushed, as Cody stood up, and then he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, while looking at the girl who saved him with love in his eyes.

"Hey, who is this guy?" Bridgette asked Buttercup, who sat in front of her. "He certainly is acting friendly with Bubbles."

"We'll explain later." Buttercup said.

"Bubbles, you and Cody seem to know each other." Miss Keane said, as she came over to the pair.

Both Bubbles and Cody blushed as Bubbles said, "Oh, yeah, we do."

"She was the only other visitor I had during my stay at the hospital, but we go much farther back than that," Cody explained. "I guess 'childhood friends' is a good way of putting it?"

"Then that makes things easier; Bubbles, can I count on you to show Cody around the school?" Ms. Keane said.

"Yes!" Bubbles said, as she smiled, pink in her cheeks.

"I'll just go to my seat," Cody said; he winked at Bubbles before turning around to go back to his desk. "Wait on me, sweet Bubbles."

"Okay…" Bubbles said, blushing, as Cody went to his seat.

Blossom and Bridgette smiled at how cute the situation was while Buttercup showed indifference.

* * *

Once class had let out for the time being, Cody and the girls went to the rooftop to talk about Cody and Bubbles' relationship.

"You must be Bridgette," Cody said, as he and Bridgette shook hands. "It's nice to meet you."

"Right back at you," Bridgette said, as she then sat back down next to Buttercup. "So, what's your relationship with Bubbles?"

Cody and Bubbles blushed before playing shy at that point, and then Blossom said, "I'll explain. Cody is, for lack of better words, Bubbles' first love. They first met back when Bubbles was around six years old. It was a rainy day in the park and Cody defended her and a few other girls from some bullies who were roughing around."

"F-First love?" Cody said, blushing; Bubbles went red, too. "That's how she saw me? Wow…"

"Really, now?" Bridgette asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"That's not all," Buttercup continued. "They made a pinky promise to meet up again. However, Cody got hospitalized the next day, and was stuck in there for seven years until… Until, well..."

Buttercup started snapping her fingers, trying to word it right without freaking Bridgette out.

"Until?" Bridgette asked, making a hand motion to get Buttercup to talk.

"Until Cody was hit by Black Z Rays." Blossom said, continuing for Buttercup.

"He was hit by Black Z Rays?!" Bridgette asked, shocked.

"Calm down," Bubbles said. "He didn't hurt anyone; no intention of it."

"As if I would _want _to hurt anyone anyway," Cody said. "I just can't bear to think that I would hurt anyone on purpose."

"Okay…" Bridgette said.

"Cody turned into a werewolf after being exposed to the negative Chemical Z," Buttercup continued. "He managed to break out of the hospital and run loose without hurting anyone for six months."

"Bubbles managed to find him and change him back after some convincing as well as revealing our secret." Blossom said.

"Wait, he _knows_?!" Bridgette said.

"I sure do," Cody said. "I've known about the girls being the Powerpuff Girls Z for over two years, now."

"Oh, phew…" Bridgette said, taking a deep breath. "That's a relief. So we can trust you in that regard."

"And you're the newest member, right, Bridgette? I put two and two together." Cody said.

"Yes, that's right," Bridgette said to him. "You're quite smart."

"Thanks," Cody said. "Despite being stuck in the hospital for nine years, I was still brought my homework and schoolwork to keep my education up."

"That's a relief." Bridgette said.

Cody wrapped an arm around Bubbles' shoulder and then she relaxed in his embrace.

The girls were showing Cody around the hallways of the school, and they decided to give Bubbles and Cody some space.

"Now, here's my locker." Bubbles said, and she decided to open it, only…

An avalanche of love letters and presents fell on the group; Bridgette inquired, "Is this normal for Bubbles?"

"Pretty much." Blossom said, with a sheepish smile.

Cody was looking at the situation with a face of mild jealously on. Bridgette noticed this, but she only looked at Cody in suspicion.

Bubbles then picked up one of the letters, opened it, and read out loud, "Bubbles, your blond hair shines like the sun. You're a beautiful girl; I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so. Will you go out with me?"

"More of those letters, huh? This is so typical." Buttercup said.

"Hahaha…" Bubbles said, sweat dropping.

The girls heard growling of sorts and then they looked to Cody, who had a facial expression that had a mix of anxiety and jealousy.

"You okay, Cody?" Bubbles asked.

"I really hate this!" Cody said, as he kicked one of the letter piles.

"Hate what?" Blossom said.

"All the attention Bubbles gets," Cody said, crossing his arms, a vein throbbing in his forehead. "You girls are great friends, I can appreciate that, but…"

Cody stopped before he unintentionally spit out something he had wanted to admit to Bubbles for a _long time_.

"Can we move on before Cody snaps?" Buttercup asked, sensing some tension in the atmosphere.

"You're right." Bubbles said, as she put the letters down and closed her locker, before leading the girls to another part of the school.

_'I only want Bubbles to look in my direction; no other boy should be her boyfriend but me!' _Cody said, tightening his fists.

"Now, here's the library." Bubbles said, as she brought Cody into the library.

Cody was paying more attention to Bubbles than he was to the tour, as she was showing him all of the sections of the library from the manga section all the way to biology. Cody was blushing, as was Bubbles, and the twosome were very cute together, from anyone's perspective.

Cody was tempted to try taking Bubbles' hand into his own, and nearly succeeded at one point.

"Do you notice a nice atmosphere between the two of them?" Blossom asked.

"I sure do." Bridgette said.

"Can we stop talking about this, please?" Buttercup said, about to gag.

"You want to see more of the school, Cody?" Bubbles asked.

"Please." Cody said, as he was about to make a move and take Bubbles' hand into his own.

Bridgette and Blossom then smiled as they noticed what Cody was trying to do.

However, just as the romance was about to unfold, Cody's hand was starting to radiate a black aura.

"Girls…" Blossom said. "Do you see what I what see?"

"Yes…" Bridgette said. "Black aura alert…"

Cody seemed to catch this, and he soon took his hand away, took a deep breath, and the aura managed to dissipate… for the time being.

The girls sighed in relief as the aura disappeared.

"That was way too close," Cody said. "I don't want to turn into _that thing_ again…"

"Certainly." Bridgette said.

* * *

"Now this is the outdoor track where we have our Gym Classes," Bubbles said, as she showed the gym station outside the school buildings. "Now that you're out of the hospital, you can be at your best on the track!"

"I sure can," Cody said; he then blushed. "I just hope you can see me at my best; because I'll be doing it for you and only you."

Bubbles blushed and then the mood became nice between them; Cody attempted to take Bubbles' hands into his own once again, but then out of nowhere…

The girls' belts started beeping.

"Oh, man! Why _now?_" Bridgette complained.

"_JUST_ when the mood was getting good!" Blossom complained.

"I'm sorry Cody, but…" Bubbles tried to explain.

Cody raised a hand and then he said, "Don't worry about it; I can cover for you. Meet you in the library after all is said and done?"

"Oh, phew…" Bubbles said. "Thanks, Cody. We'll meet you back in the library."

"Let's go!" Blossom said, as she and the rest of the girls ran straight to the rooftop to stop trouble.

"I really hate leaving Cody behind like this," Bubbles said, as they got to the roof. "Ms. Keanne will get suspicious."

"You heard what Cody said: he'll cover for us," Buttercup said. "Don't worry about it."

"Let's just get going, already!" Bridgette said, as she cut in and stopped the girls from getting distracted.

Blossom then picked up her compact and then she asked, "What's the problem, Professor?"

"We've got the usual Mojo Jojo problems," The Professor said. "You four know what to do!"

"That stupid monkey just doesn't learn his lesson, does he?" Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

"We'd better make this quick," Bubbles said. "I don't want to leave Cody hanging for too long."

"So long as he keeps our secret, which he has for two years straight, we should be fine." Blossom said.

"Let's go!" Bridgette said.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

The quartet then flew off into the sky from the rooftop.

Cody watched the quartet's light streaks head for the city, and then he said, "Good luck, girls."

He paid attention to Bubbles' streak and then he said, "I'd better get to the library."

Cody then took off to the library, when Ms. Keane saw him, and asked, "Oh, Cody. Where are Bubbles and the other girls?"

"They told me to meet them back in the library; they already told me where it is. The girls are in the bathroom." Cody lied to Ms. Keane.

"Okay, then. We'll see you later in class, Cody." Ms. Keane said, as she went on her way.

"That was a close call." Cody muttered.

He looked out the window and then he said, "Be careful… Girls…"

"So, Bubbles…" Blossom said, while the quartet was flying to the scene. "Even though Cody is your first love, do you still like him?"

"B-Blossom, what are you s-saying?!" Bubbles asked, really nervous.

"You still like him, don't you? I can tell by your body language around him." Blossom teased.

"Cut it out, Blossom," Bridgette said. "We have work to do! Look over there!"

She pointed out Mojo's usual Robo-Jojo using its robotic fists to wreck buildings.

"Here we go again!" Buttercup said.

"Let's go!" Blossom said.

"Ready?" Bubbles said.

The girls summoned their weapons as they then started to attack the robot, as usual.

"_Yo-Yo Shot!"_ Blossom shouted, as she shot her yo-yo at the robot, causing Mojo to get distracted.

"The PowerPuff Girls Z!" Mojo said, as he got angry with the girls.

"Who were you expecting?" Bridgette said, with a scoff, while twirling her swords.

"_Sticky Bubbles!" _Bubbles shouted, as she used her bubble wand to create bubbles that caused the robot's legs to stick to the ground.

"Just because the robot's legs are stuck doesn't mean we're out of the woods," Bridgette said. "But good call, Bubbles."

"Thanks," Bubbles said, but then looked back into the direction of the school. "Oh, Cody…"

"Bubbles, you can worry about your love life later," Buttercup said. "We've got a monkey to crush!"

"No kidding," Blossom said. "Hey, Bridgette, how about cutting Mojo down to size?"

"You got it!" Bridgette said; she flew down, with her swords charging energy, and shouted, _"Swornado!" _

She then spun around, holding her swords out to her sides, and she created a tornado with a serrated edge to it. The tornado then hit the robot, causing it to break apart. The robot was in shambles, but Mojo was still in one piece.

"You smelly humans are still in my way!" Mojo shouted.

"You know, world domination takes more than a monkey and a robot! Not that it's ever happened!" Bridgette said, as she flying in mid-air, fairly annoyed.

"What do you mean, Bridgette?" Bubbles said.

"There have been humans in the past who have come close to ruling the world, but they always fell apart. Julius Caesar, for one." Bridgette explained.

"So, how did this human manage to get so close to taking over the world?" Mojo asked, intrigued; he got out a paper and pencil to write it down.

"Right, like I would tell you! You can't even take over the city! How do you expect to dominate the world?" Bridgette said, with a scoff.

"Let's just hit him far away, already!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yeah, you're right," Bridgette said. "Will you do the honors, Buttercup?"

"My pleasure!" Buttercup said, summoning her hammer. _"Hyper-Sonic Swing!"_

Buttercup then slammed her hammer into Mojo's face, causing him to fly off.

"That's a relief," Blossom said. "Now let's get back to Cody before he starts worrying."

The girls then flew back to school.

* * *

Cody was anxiously waiting in the school library for the girls; he was reading a collection of Shakespearean classics.

He was specifically on the chapter of _"A Midsummer Night's Dream"_, where he imagined himself as Lysander with Bubbles as Hermia.

Cody imagined that he and Bubbles were running away from their home to get married and have a happy ending with each other. Cody blushed and he thought, _'Now if only Bubbles and I can share a kiss like that...'_

However, he overheard something in the library that distracted him from his reading. He put the book back and decided to eavesdrop.

"That new kid, Cody, is really lucky." A boy said to some of his friends.

"Yeah," One boy said. "I've been crushing on Bubbles for years, but he got closer to her than any of us ever could."

"I'm so jealous." Another boy said, as he leaned against the table.

"We need to step up our game," The first boy said. "We need to make it clear how we feel about Bubbles. Let's make our letters more passionate."

Cody soon had a vein throbbing in his forehead angrily. He did not _anyone_ making moves on Bubbles. He wanted Bubbles to himself; he knew to share her with her friends and family, so he was okay with that.

'_Damn it! Those guys won't get to my Bubbles any time soon!' _Cody thought, angrily.

However, he felt something grow or whatever on his hand. Looking at his hands, his fingernails were growing longer and sharper. Cody panicked and then he took out a glove from his bag and slipped it on his newly clawed hand.

"That was close…" Cody muttered. _'Not again… I don't want to turn into that monster again!'_

"Cody, we're back." Bubbles said, as she and her friends approached Cody.

"Oh, how did it go?" Cody asked, in a hushed whisper.

"We did fine, as usual," Blossom said. "It's always the same with Mojo."

"No joke," Cody said, with a chuckle. "I just hope you don't have to spring into action again soon…"

Cody and Bubbles blushed at each other and they started acting shy and romantic with each other; their cheeks were pink and their body language was shy.

Buttercup sweat dropped at this, while Blossom and Bridgette were giggling at the scene.

Bubbles then noticed Cody's gloved hand and asked, "Cody, why are you wearing a glove?"

"Oh, I unintentionally cut myself on a page and I put a bandage on it. The glove is for extra protection just in case." Cody lied, and he was pretty convincing.

Bridgette was suspicious; she could have sworn that she sensed a dark aura around Cody's hand.

"Bubbles?" Cody asked.

"Yes, Cody?" Bubbles inquired, as the red in her cheeks got more obvious.

Both of the teenagers started acting shy with each other again; Cody began, "I lo… Would you…?"

However, the bell rang for the next class.

"Nuts," Blossom said. "Back to class; come on."

The girls then went back to the classroom, with Cody close behind. Cody saw another boy at Bubbles' locker, who put in a large box of chocolates inside it. Cody started growling quietly, out of jealousy. He calmed down just in time, though; his other hand was about to grow claws, too.

"Cody, what's the matter? Come on!" Blossom shouted from ahead.

"Oh, coming!" Cody said, snapping out of his daze.

Cody thought to himself, _'I have to keep it together! If I let that thing loose again…'_

During class, Cody was trying his best to keep up with the notes and everything, but he kept stealing glances at his gloved hand, worried his claws might break through.

He looked back at Bubbles, and his eyes only saw true beauty, something Bubbles was the pure essence of. He blushed, but then looked back to his work and kept up with the class.

Once class let out for the period, Cody was walking alongside Bubbles; he was blushing, tempted to take Bubbles' hand. Bubbles seemed to sense this, and she blushed with a smile.

"Bubbles?" Cody asked.

"Yes, Cody?" Bubbles inquired to him.

"Do you remember the day that you…" Cody began, but Bubbles put a hand over his mouth, shutting him up.

"Cody, not now!" Bubbles whispered. "We're in public; you can't say anything now!"

"Oh, right…" Cody said, albeit it was muffled because of Bubbles' hand. He was blushing while thinking, _'Such soft hands…'_

Blossom and Bridgette were awing at the atmosphere building up while Buttercup was gagging at the scene.

However, the moment was ruined when the final bell for school rang out.

"See you tomorrow, Cody?" Bubbles said.

"Um, sure…" Cody said, as the girls then left for home.

Cody sighed sadly as he felt upset, as he did not get to say anything to Bubbles about how he felt about her.

After school, Cody was walking home, looking at his gloved hand, before thinking, _'If I can't keep this thing under wraps, what am I going to do?' _

He then remembered the day Bubbles turned him back to normal. Cody got determined to tell Bubbles how he felt; he knew _just_ how to do it.

"Hey, girls, how about we head to the lab?" Blossom said.

"That's a good idea," Bubbles said. "Why not bring Cody there sometime? He's in on the secret, so I don't see a problem."

"Let's ask the Professor, first," Bridgette said. "We don't want to bring people into the lab without blowing our cover."

"She's right." Buttercup said.

The girls then made a beeline for the lab and settled down to do their favorite past times. Bridgette was in the kitchen, making cookies for the girls; Bubbles was reading fashion magazines; boys' magazines, specifically, to try finding nice clothes for Cody. Buttercup was watching a baseball game that she missed the other day due to the usual PowerPuff Girls Z stuff; Blossom was reading a manga while munching on a cupcake from the other day.

"So, Bubbles, why are you looking at a _boys'_ fashion magazine?" Blossom asked.

"I'm going to try and find a good gift for Cody," Bubbles said. "As a way of congratulating him for finally getting out of the hospital."

Cody, meanwhile, had a gift box all wrapped up; it was a present for Bubbles.

He said, "I can't wait to see the look on her face when Bubbles opens this gift!"

_~Fantasy~_

Cody gave Bubbles the present box, and then he said, "Here you go, Bubbles."

"Thank you so much!" Bubbles said. She opened the box, and seeing its contents, she leaped onto Cody and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You like it?" Cody asked.

"I love it!" Bubbles said, before kissing Cody on the cheek once more.

_~End of Fantasy~_

"She's gonna love it!" Cody said, his cheeks pink.

* * *

The next day, Cody was walking to Bubbles' locker and then he saw a few boys putting letters in her locker. Cody hid behind one of the walls and then he listened and watched as the events unfolded.

"Once Bubbles reads these, her heart will soar!" One of the boys said.

"I hope so," Another one of the boys said. "That Cody guy seems to be getting closer to her every day."

Cody got angrier when he heard and saw this. He started growling, and then his black aura started to flare up again. Noticing this, Cody then saw that both of his hands started growing claws. He took a deep breath, calmed down, and soon, his aura disappeared and the claws shrunk back. Cody then sighed in relief.

"Cody," Bubbles said, catching Cody's attention. "I got you something."

Bubbles gave Cody a present box; Cody opened it, and it revealed a button-down shirt in royal blue, black jeans, and a new, black vest.

"I love it!" Cody said, as he put the gift box down. "I got you something, too."

Opening up the box, Bubbles saw that it carried a new, baby blue dress in it; she smiled, and then she told Cody, "This is cute! I really like it!"

"I'm glad," Cody said, as he then took Bubbles' hand and then decided to try asking her out. "Um, Bubbles… will you…"

However, the bell rang, and then Bubbles said, "Cody, I should go to my locker. I'll see you in class."

"Okay…" Cody said.

He watched as Bubbles opened her locker; she took out the letters that the boys placed earlier.

"These letters are nice, but…" Bubbles said, blushing, while making sure Cody was not angry.

Cody got angry and he said, "I can't stand the way all those other boys look at you, Bubbles!"

"Y-You can't?" Bubbles asked.

"No, I can't, because, I lo…" Cody began, but he felt something on his chest. Not in, but _on_ his chest. He felt uncomfortable, and he subtly scratched it.

"You…?" Bubbles asked, wanting to hear what Cody was about to tell her.

"I… I'll tell you later," Cody said. "Going to the bathroom. See you in class!"

Cody dashed off, scrambled into the boys' restroom. He ran to the mirror, and then he opened up his shirt to reveal that his chest was buffer than normal. He recognized the muscles as the same ones he acquired when he turned into the werewolf all that time back.

"Oh, no…" Cody said.

He closed his shirt up and then looked around to make sure that no one else saw him. He left the bathroom and went to the classroom, while thinking, _'I have to reel it in! I have to calm down!'_

Bridgette seemed to sense something off and then she said, "Girls, we may need to keep an eye on Cody…"

"Are you sensing trouble?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette merely nodded.

Cody came into the classroom, fiddling with his shirt and looking around in paranoia.

He then managed to calm down long enough to go to his seat; he felt the claws coming back.

"Alright, everyone," Ms. Keane said. "For this project, please find a partner and work with him or her in a nice fashion."

Everyone started to scramble around for a good partner; naturally, nearly every boy in class approached Bubbles.

"Hey, Bubbles, you want to work with me?" "Will you be my partner?" "We can make a great team, Bubbles!" "Please?"

Bubbles was embarrassed about all the attention. Seeing this, Cody started growling again.

The girls then looked in his direction and saw that Cody's dark aura was flaring up.

"Um, Bubbles…?! You might want to hurry up and become partners with Cody before he blows his top!" Blossom said.

"What?" Bubbles asked, as she looked in Cody's direction.

Cody's hands started to grow claws, and he grew fangs, too. Not vampire-like fangs, but canine-like fangs, instead.

Cody looked at his hands and saw the claws growing. He panicked, and after seeing what was going on, then dashed out of the classroom in fright, before thinking, _'I can't calm down! I'm just getting jealous, that's all! Why's my black aura reemerging again?!'_

"Cody, no!" Bubbles said, as she chased after Cody.

"We'd better go, too," Blossom said. "We need to help Cody, girls!"

Bridgette and Buttercup nodded in agreement; the girls then ran out of the classroom.

Cody soon looked at his hands; the claws were getting longer. His hair turned from dirty blond to red, just like the fur from his monster form.

"Cody, stop!" Bubbles said, as she got to Cody's side and tried to help him calm down.

Cody's eyes started turning red before the other three girls came up to them; Cody said, "Girls… I need your help! Please!"

"Don't worry, we'll do what we can!" Bubbles said.

"The only thing I think that will work is if I calm down and try not to be so jealous," Cody said. "I think my transformation is being triggered again because I'm jealous of all the boys talking to you."

"You were?" Bubbles said.

Bridgette and Blossom started getting giddy, knowing where this was probably going, while Buttercup showed indifference to the situation.

Cody took Bubbles' hands, being careful not to hurt her with his claws and he said, "It's because I… I lo…"

Once again, Cody was interrupted because he then clutched his chest as his dark aura began to overtake him again.

Cody backed off a bit as he said, "Girls! Get away from me! I don't know what I'm going to do when I fully transform!"

"NO!" Bubbles said.

Cody soon bolted from the building as the transformation started to keep going. Claws broke through his shoes and he became more muscular.

The aura then surrounded Cody, and then he turned back into the werewolf, slowly, and it scared the heck out of the girls.

Poochi picked up Cody's scent, and then he shouted, "I smell Z Rays coming from the school!"

"What's on the monitor, Ken?" The Professor said.

The monitor turned on to see Cody, struggling to keep his power under control.

"It's Cody! He's changed back into the monster from that one time before." Ken said, surprised.

"Bubbles changed him back once before," The Professor said. "I'm sure the girls know what to do."

"Professor!" Bridgette said, as she picked up her compact and talked to the professor. "We're going to try and calm Cody down and get him to the lab to change him back to normal!"

"Okay, Bridgette," The Professor said. "Keep an eye on things!"

"Right." Bridgette said, before hanging up.

The girls then hid in a bush to transform.

"_Hyper Blossom!"_

"_Rolling Bubbles!"_

"_Powered Buttercup!"_

"_Feminine Bridgette!"_

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!" _

Bubbles came out, and Cody, still in monster form, was trying to keep his temper under control, and then Bubbles approached him.

"Cody!" Bubbles said, as the other three came out of the bush to try and make sure Cody was okay.

"Bubbles… Perfect timing," Cody said. "Thanks for transforming… Quick, get me back to normal!"

"You got it!" Bubbles said, before ensnaring him into a bubble.

"Bubbles, why are putting him in a giant bubble?" Bridgette asked.

"We may be super strong, but we need to get Cody back to the lab to change him back." Bubbles explained.

The girls nodded in agreement as they understood where Bubbles was coming from.

* * *

The quartet then brought Cody to the lab; they laid him down on the exam table and Cody was ready to change back to a normal, human boy.

"So, Cody transformed because he got jealous of all the other boys that were crowding around Bubbles?" Ken asked.

"That's right." Blossom said.

"I guess stress, anger, and resentment are triggers for this transformation," The Professor said, as the transformation ray was fully prepared. "But mostly jealousy."

"Then we need to keep that in check to prevent relapses of this." Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

The Professor then used the beam on Cody, and in the multi-colored light, Cody went from the giant werewolf he was back to his human form, where he woke up, and then he hung his legs over the exam table before getting off of it.

"Thanks, Professor," Cody said. "The question is, how to get back to school without raising suspicion."

The girls smiled and then they were soon back at school. Bubbles and Cody were partnered up for the project and they were working great together.

"That's a relief," Bridgette said to Buttercup and Blossom. "Let's just hope Cody doesn't get jealous again."

"We can only hope for the best, Bridgette," Blossom said. "So, let's see what happens."

"So, the project is to create a poem with a limerick structure about something we love." Bubbles said, as she and Cody started working together during the project.

After school, the group went their separate ways for the day; each girl went back to their own house, but in Bubbles and Cody's case, they decided to walk home together.

"Um, Bubbles?" Cody asked, as he blushed red, while trying to talk to Bubbles.

"Yes, Cody?" Bubbles asked.

"Um…" Cody began. _'Come on, out with it! Or you'll miss your chance!'_

"Will you go out with me? On a real date?" Cody asked, working up his courage.

Bubbles blushed, and her heart swelled as she felt like she had been shot. She smiled happily as she felt like her dreams have become true.

"I've been trying to ask you for a while, but it's not like I could go out on a date with you while still stuck in the hospital…" Cody said, going red, while embarrassed.

Bubbles then said, "Yes! Yes, I will!"

Cody, overjoyed, picked Bubbles up by the waist and spun around while holding on to her, and then Cody said, "You just made me the happiest boy alive!"

Both teenagers started laughing together, and then Cody said, "So, how about tomorrow at lab? I'll try and make sure we get some privacy."

"I'd love that!" Bubbles said, as she hugged Cody, who hugged her back, and was all smiles at that moment.

"That's great!" Cody said.

Soon, the two teenagers looked at each other with love in their eyes. Under the setting sun, the twosome leaned closer in to one another.

"Bubbles… I love you." Cody said, as he put his hand to Bubbles' cheek. She blushed, and she smiled, while not flinching one little bit.

Their eyes started closing, and then they kissed briefly for a second. However, Cody then kissed Bubbles passionately, while the two of them hugged; Cody hugged Bubbles by the waist, while Bubbles hugged Cody by the neck.

What the two lovebirds did _not_ know was that Blossom, Buttercup, and Bridgette were watching the romance unfold from behind another bush.

"That's so sweet!" Blossom said, hearts in her eyes, and they were bulging.

"I'm just glad we can trust him," Bridgette said. "If it were a complete stranger, that would be a different story."

"It all looks pretty sappy to me." Buttercup said.

"Don't ruin it!" Bridgette hissed at Buttercup.

"Well, it looks like Bubbles is the Beauty that tamed Cody's Beast!" Blossom said.

"Yep," Buttercup said. "Now let's go home before something else goes wrong."

The girls left the scene, and left Bubbles and Cody to have their romance together.

* * *

**Now how I initially wanted it to turn out, but I still like how I did with this one. I hope you all liked it, too. And for those of you who prefer RRBXPPGZ, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HATE WHAT I'M DOING WITH THIS STORY! **

**Next time...**

**Bubbles: Why are these three causing trouble in the city today?! Just when Cody and I were about to have our date!**

**Blossom: Forget about that for now; we have to deal with these three brats!**

**Buttercup: Now that we have Bridgette, we're sure to get the upper hand this time!  
**

**Bridgette: I wouldn't be too sure about that...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Next up, we have the Rowdyruff Boys being Rowdy and Rough! Not like that's not a given, considering their group name, right? Anyway, the boys are causing problems all over town, and then the girls are called in to stop them. Poor timing, too, considering that it was interrupting Bubbles and Cody's date.**

**When Bridgette gives them a real beating with her swords, the boys counterattack by creating a new brother! Uh-oh…**

* * *

_RowdyRuff Relapse!_

It was a quiet, peaceful day in the city, with no monster attacks, nothing. Everyone in town was going out about their usual business as if the monsters or the PowerPuff Girls Z did not even exist. However, that statement might be an exaggeration…

"_HEY, GET BACK HERE, YOU BRATS!"_ A man shouted, as three boys ran out of his store, carrying sacks of candy and other snack foods.

"No way, old man!" One of the boys shouted at him.

One boy had red hair, red eyes, a red cap turned backwards on his head, and a bandage on his face. One boy had blond hair with blue eyes, and freckles. The last boy had pale skin, Asian-like green eyes, and while a long strand of hair was covering half his face, with it in a mini ponytail. They were roller skating, wearing gang-like coats in identical styles, minus the different colors.

"You disrespectful… Thieves! Brats!" The storeowner shouted, angrily. Inside the store, there were wads of saliva wads, nasal mucus, and earwax on the walls and shelves.

"Hahahahaha!" The three boys laughed, as they skated off.

"Nice idea, Brick!" The blond said to the redhead. "Robbing a candy and snack shop was brilliant!"

"Time to make even more havoc around town!" The redhead, Brick, said.

The trio then started skating off as they decided to create more problems around New Townsville.

They ran into a toyshop, and they threw insects, snakes, frogs, and such around the shop, causing everyone to panic and scream. The patrons screamed in fright and started running around the store in fear. In the confusion, the boys snagged a few action figures and then after Brick launched some spit-wads, Boomer threw earwax at the clients, and Butch threw his stinky sock boomerang around and spread the smell around, causing people to cough from the smell.

The boys then skated out of the shop with the ill-gotten toys; the owner ran out of the shop, and shouted, _"DISRESPECTFUL BRATS!"_

He angrily then picked up the cell phone and called the Mayor; once he picked up, the owner said, "Hello, Mayor, I need you to call in the PowerPuff Girls Z! STAT!"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lab the girls, Cody included, were hanging out around the house portion of the lab. The girls were doing their usual pastimes, with no problems happening. Bridgette was in the kitchen, making some sweets for the group; Bubbles was reading fashion magazines, and Cody was giving her recommendations for outfits for future dates. Buttercup was watching baseball while flipping between that and basketball. Blossom was reading her favorite comic books while eating some more of Bridgette's cookies that she had made the day before.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Bridgette said, as she was whipping some cream in the kitchen. "We can just hang out in here without any monster problems."

"Don't jinx it, Bridgette," Buttercup said. "You never know what can happen."

"I can tell you something nice that's going to happen." Bubbles said, as she held Cody's arm.

"What's that Bubbles?" Bridgette asked, as she piped on the whipped cream onto the ice cream that she made all on her own, as well. She then brought the ice cream bowls to the table where the others were sitting at.

"Cody and I are going to be going to the park for our date today!" Bubbles said, smiling.

"Yeah, we'll be going to the same park as where we first met all those years ago," Cody said. "I'm planning on holding true to the promise we made that day."

"Oh, Cody!" Bubbles said, as she and Cody shared a hug while they both stood up.

"Aw…" Blossom said. "That's so sweet! Going back to your roots for your first date; that's adorable!"

"I concur," Bridgette said, as she started eating some of her ice cream. "Just be careful out there, and Cody, cover for Bubbles in case we get an alert."

"I promise." Cody said, as he and Bubbles, holding hands, then left the lab to go out on their date in the park.

"Those two really get sappy, don't they?" Buttercup said, a she was flipping the channel.

"I guess, but it's sweet," Bridgette said. "Don't you think so?"

"I really do think it's adorable. I'm so jealous," Blossom said. "I wish I had that special someone like Bubbles does."

"With the way you always jump the gun and demonstrate unexpected behaviors around boys who are your age or older, I actually _can _see why you haven't snagged a guy, yet; you overdo it too soon." Bridgette said.

"So I have to be more mature like Bubbles?" Blossom said, in an almost bratty manner.

"Pretty much, but who cares about boys?" Buttercup said. "I have no intention of looking around for love right now. Not like I want to; the idea of it just makes me want to throw up."

"Buttercup, don't make me lose my appetite!" Bridgette scolded, as she ate her ice cream.

"Sorry, sorry," Buttercup said; she took a bite of the ice cream Bridgette made, and she smiled. "This is delicious!"

"Thanks, Buttercup," Bridgette said, but she then went into Culinary Connoisseur mode once again. "The base is simply cream, egg yolks, sugar, half-and-half, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and melted semi-sweet chocolate; the combination makes the ice cream as rich and thick as possible. As for the mix-ins, they're added after the churning is done; they're folded into the base ice cream and then frozen in the freezer. The chocolate sauce I made is semi-sweet chocolate, Dutch-processed cocoa, milk, and such, and boy, it's delicious! And all I did for the whipped cream, was, well, whip up some cream! The perfect airiness of cream to pair with the thick, denseness of the chocolate ice cream and sauce is a perfect match made in dessert heaven!"

"Man, the way you describe all of these sweets makes my mouth water," Blossom said. "You're going to be amazing in the bakery biz!"

"Thanks, Blossom," Bridgette said. "What do you think, Buttercup?"

"I really don't care for your analysis of everything, but hey, if it sells the good, go for it. Besides, this is really good stuff!" Buttercup said.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "I really want to become an amazing pastry chef. With someone with such sweet teeth as Blossom, I'm sure I'd stay in business."

"_KEEP IT COMING!" _Buttercup and Blossom said, as they kept eating.

"Hahaha!" Bridgette said, as she saw how her friends chowed down on their ice cream. "Better save some of the ice cream for Bubbles and Cody, though."

* * *

Meanwhile, said couple was in the park, on the bench at the top of the steps. They were sitting on the bench, and holding hands, while blowing bubbles together. It was just like the day they first met when Cody was a monster, minus the weather, and Cody's monster form.

"This is wonderful," Bubbles said. "Just the two of us blowing bubbles together. It was just like the day we first met."

"It sure is, Bubbles," Cody said. "And hopefully no monster alerts, either."

"I hope so," Bubbles said, as she leaned on Cody's shoulder. "Now that I think about it, if you hadn't turned into a monster, we wouldn't have met up with each other again."

"That's true," Cody said, with a laugh. "But I always thought about the promise we made… Every day since I was put in there."

After Cody did his "Shabon Freedom" trick once more, making his sweet girlfriend all happy, Cody gently gripped Bubbles' hand, which caused her to blush, and look in her boyfriend's direction.

What they did not know was that the RowdyRuff Boys had skated into the park, and started creating a ruckus.

Boomer was throwing earwax at the swing set; this grossed out the girls that were on the swings, and they ran off, crying and screaming in disgust. This only made Boomer laugh, and he rolled on his back while kicking his legs in the air.

"Hahahaha! That was so funny!" Boomer shouted.

"Nice one, Boomer!" Brick shouted; he had spit his spit wads into the fountain, grossing everyone out, causing them to run and get angry with the boys.

Butch had thrown his stinky socks at everyone, causing them to gag and get dizzy from the odor and then the boys started laughing.

"We're calling the mayor!" "You disrespectful, disgusting little rats!" "You'll pay for this, BIG TIME!" "We're telling on you!" Almost everyone had said, as they left the park in anger.

"Ready?" Brick said, as the boys were about to put both of their fingers in their noses. They shot their nasal mucus at everything, from the swings, to the slides, and everything in between. Some of Boomer's nasal mucus was on the teeter-totter; Butch's was on the ground, on the swings, and on the play tires; Brick's was on the slides, the water fountain, and the benches.

However, they stopped when they saw bubbles floating in the air around them. Looking at them, the boys were confused as to why freshly blown bubbles would still be lingering around if everyone had already left the park.

"Bubbles? Why are bubbles floating around here of all places?" Butch asked.

"They're only floating in the air, genius," Brick said. "But the point is that someone is still here, and they want us gone!"

"The bubbles are coming from that hill up there; look!" Boomer pointed out, pointing up to the hill where Bubbles and Cody were.

"Let's go check it out." Boomer said; the three boys then started running up the stairs to the bench where Bubbles and Cody were.

Meanwhile, everyone had run out of the park to file complaints to the Mayor to call the Powerpuff Girls in. Everyone in the area was pretty ticked off at the RowdyRuff Boys' antics, and to say they were angry was an understatement. Almost everyone in town wanted the Powerpuff Girls Z to intercede on the situation, and they wanted the girls to help FAST.

At the Mayor's office, he had been getting phone calls left and right complaining about the RowdyRuff Boys causing problems all over town.

"Okay, okay!" The Mayor said. "I'll call the Professor right away!"

The Mayor then picked up the phone and contacted Professor Utonium right away. The signal soon reached the laboratory's videophones, and then the Mayor's face appeared on the screen; he was panicked.

"Professor!" The Mayor shouted, while the Professor and Ken were working in the laboratory.

"Oh, Mr. Mayor," The Professor said. "What's the problem?"

"I've been getting calls and complaints about three boys with similar features to the girls causing problems all over the city!" The Mayor explained. "Call the girls in!"

"Okay!" Professor Utonium said. "Let's get the girls in!"

"Right!" Poochi said, before barking.

"Girls!" Ken said, as he walked into the house portion of the lab and talked to Blossom and the others. "We've got trouble at the park!"

"The park?" Blossom said. "Oh, no! Bubbles and Cody are there! We got to help them!"

"We have to get going!" Buttercup said, as she, Bridgette, and Blossom put their ice cream dishes down on the table.

"Right! Let's do it!" Bridgette said, as she cracked her knuckles in prep.

Blossom said, "I don't know what junk these guys are trying to pull with wrecking the park, but no matter what happens, I don't want Bubbles and Cody's date to be ruined!"

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

* * *

Meanwhile, the RowdyRuff Boys had climbed the stairs only to see Bubbles and Cody blowing bubbles together, and having a good time. The boys were just looking at the scene in curiosity.

Bubbles and Cody were beginning to lean in closer to one another to try and give each other a kiss.

However, the boys then started to get mischievous and decided to ruin their date.

The boys then got on their roller skates and Brick said, "Let's ruin it!"

The boys then skated forwards, and then they jumped in between Bubbles and Cody, just as the two were about to kiss.

"Ack!" Cody said, as he hung onto Bubbles, protectively.

"Hehehehehehe!" The boys laughed.

"Kiss my butt!" Brick said, as he slapped his bottom.

"Hey! Don't you know it's disrespectful to interrupt a date?" Cody said, clearly unhappy with the boys' behavior.

"Date, my foot! Let's go!" Brick said, laughing. He then shot some spit wads at the duo, Boomer shot his earwax, and Butch threw his sock.

"Duck!" Cody shouted, as he and Bubbles ducked to the ground and narrowly dodged the attacks.

"Hahahaha!" The three boys laughed, as they skated down the stairs.

"Those three…!" Bubbles said, getting really angry.

"Calm down, Bubbles," Cody said, trying to placate his girlfriend. "Chill out."

Bubble's belt started going off, and then Bubbles picked up; Blossom was on the phone.

"Bubbles! Buttercup, Bridgette, and I are detecting monster activity near the park; are you and Cody still in one piece over there?" Blossom asked.

"We're fine," Bubbles said. "Just angry that three boys ruined my date with Cody!"

"You can get payback when we confront the brats!" Buttercup said.

"Right! Cody, sorry to cut this short…" Bubbles said, sadly.

"Hey, no problem," Cody said. "You have to do what you have to do, right?"

"Thank you." Bubbles said.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

Bubbles then flew into the air and caught up with her friends while Cody waved at her from down below.

"Nice timing, Bubbles," Blossom said. "Now let's go get those brats!"

"What brats?" Bridgette asked; she was left _completely_ in the dark on the situation.

"We'll explain once we find those three!" Buttercup said, as she got angry.

Blossom soon spotted the RowdyRuff Boys doing graffiti in front of a pharmacy store and then she shouted, "Down there! They're they are!"

Getting a better look, Bridgette said, "Are those three… Your brothers or something?"

"They're our male clones, the RowdyRuff Boys. They were created by Mojo Jojo using Chemical Z, some hairs from his body, and samples of our DNA codes." Blossom explained.

"Nose hair?! Yuck!" Bridgette said, shuddering.

"_We said the same thing." _The other three girls said, in disgust.

"Let's go get them, already!" Blossom said. "Bridgette, stay behind us! We can use you as a trump card!"

"Okay!" Bridgette said, nodding in understanding.

The boys were writing things on the walls, such as "PPGZ STINK" and such. The boys were laughing quite a bit at this, and then out of nowhere, a large bubble appeared.

"Another bubble?" Butch asked.

"Where did that come from?" Boomer asked.

The bubble popped, and then the boys flinched a little bit before the girls landed in front of them, angry looks on their faces. Bridgette had ducked down behind them.

"Okay, boys, that's far enough!" Blossom said.

"_Cause you now have to deal with us! The PowerPuff Girls!"_ The main trio said, together.

"Hahaha! Boys, let's show them like last time!" Brick said.

The boys were about to turn around and then they pulled down their pants, mooning the girls; they shut their eyes in embarrassment, but Bridgette did not see a thing.

"Ready?" Brick said to his brothers.

"Right!" Boomer and Butch said.

The boys then put their fingers in their noses and then they shot nasal mucus at the girls.

"Duck!" Blossom shouted.

The girls then ducked, being careful not to reveal Bridgette to the boys, and then they got angry with the RowdyRuff Boys.

"Psst! Blossom; let me handle this!" Bridgette said.

"Not yet," Blossom whispered back. "Let's see what else they're going to do!"

Blossom's question was answered: Boomer threw earwax, Brick shot spit wads, and Butch threw his sock at the girls.

Bridgette could see – and smell – what the boys were doing, and she was not happy about it; used to it, but not impressed.

"Earwax, saliva, and sock stink? That's pretty weak." Bridgette said, but then she covered her mouth, catching her slip-up.

"Hey, that's not one of you three," Brick said. "Who else is there?"

"Looks like we're going to have to unleash our trump card a little sooner than expected!" Buttercup said, with a crafty smile on her face.

Bridgette then stood up and walked out from behind the girls; she crossed her arms while looking at the boys with her cynical face.

"Hold on, I don't recognize you!" Butch said.

"Not like you _would_," Bridgette said, with a shrug. "I'm the new girl on the team."

"Well, what's your name?" Boomer asked.

"Right, like I'm going to tell you." Bridgette said, with keen wit.

"The least you could do is tell us!" Brick said.

"Fine, if you three brats are going to be so insistent on it," Bridgette said. "My name is Bridgette."

"Bridgette, eh?" Brick said.

"And be honest: do you _really_ think you can take my gal pals and I down with something as immature as that?" Bridgette said, as she approached the boys, and flicked Brick's forehead.

"Ack! Cooties!" Brick said, as he then panicked.

"See what I mean?" Bridgette chuckled. "How old are you guys? Twelve? Thirteen? And you _still _believe in cooties? That's pretty immature."

The boys started growling, and then they smirked before Brick said, "Let's do the flip, boys!"

Bridgette looked back to her friends in questioning, as the girls flinched.

Each boy then flipped the skirt of their counterpart, and Bridgette was appalled at the audacity of the boys' behavior.

"Hey, what kind of inappropriate junk is that?" Bridgette said, angry that her friends' skirts were flipped and were embarrassed.

However, the boys then approached Bridgette, and then all three of them flipped _her_ skirt, too.

Bridgette went completely red in the face, and then she screamed so loudly and so strongly that if it were any louder, a window would have broken.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Blossom asked.

"Just completely burned! Like a cake that's been in an oven that's too hot for too long!" Bridgette said, angry, as the boys were skating away, laughing.

"Bridgette, you're not going to do anything crazy, are you?" Bubbles asked.

"If by 'crazy', you mean giving those brats a piece of my mind, then yes!" Bridgette said, as she drew her swords, and then flew off in the direction where the boys went.

"Bridgette, get back here!" Blossom shouted, as the girls then ran off after their friend.

The boys were on a really tall roof, using a hose filled with paint to cause "colored rain" to fall onto the city; from a certain angle, it looked nice, but it was really not that pleasant.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe that Bridgette was so easy!" Butch said, laughing.

"I still think she was pretty…" Boomer said, blushing a bit.

His brothers looked at him in confusion, but then Boomer said, "Um, pretty weak that is!"

"Uh-huh…" The boys said.

"What's that about me being weak?" Bridgette angrily said, as she was flying above the boys, being careful not to put her legs at the wrong angle.

"Gah!" The boys shouted, as they then backed off.

"What's the big idea, sneaking up on us like that?" Brick asked, angrily.

"More like, what's the big idea flipping our skirts the way you did?" Bridgette asked back, in a witty retort.

The boys were at a loss for a second, but then the boys got their weapons out, before Brick said, "Three against one might be unfair, but I highly doubt whatever weapon you have on you is going to be of any use!"

"Oh, really?" Bridgette said, as she landed on the roof, and crossed her arms, with a smirk on her face.

Brick shot spit wads at Bridgette, who just shifted her body to the left; Boomer shot earwax, but Bridgette merely ducked without a word; as for Butch's sock, she merely grabbed it and threw it back at Butch, but he ducked.

What none of the group knew was that Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were under the roof, watching and listening to the situation.

"Nice wit she has." Blossom said.

"She wasn't even fazed by that." Buttercup said.

"Impressive." Bubbles agreed.

"Something like that's not going to stop me," Bridgette said, as she took another step closer to the boys, who backed up a bit, but they were about to fall off the roof. "Just like a cake takes more than one component to bake in the oven, you're going to need much more than immature tricks to take me and my girls down."

"Hehehe…" Brick said, sweat dropping. "But I'll bet all you have is a wooden spoon or whatever for a weapon, just like the girls!"

"I wouldn't call a straw, cotton swabs, and a sock weapons, myself," Bridgette said, with a shrug. "But you'd be surprised."

Bridgette then summoned her swords, unsheathed them, and made sure to put them at the right angle to show off to the boys.

"AHH!" The boys screamed, as they saw the large weapons.

"Heh," Bridgette said. "Not so unorthodox, am I?"

"N-N-No…" Butch said.

"Good," Bridgette said. "You boys are _**so**_ going to get it! But don't worry; _I'll make sure you three are still in one piece when I'm done!"_

Bridgette then flew up into the air and charged her swords, she slashed the air, releasing pink energy, and then she shouted, _"Double Cut!"_

The impact of the energy sent the boys flying, like Team Rocket blasting off at the end of nearly Pokémon episode.

"Tch," Bridgette said. "Let's see those three try something like that again. You girls okay back there?"

"We're fine," Blossom said, as she and the others flew up towards Bridgette. "You made nice work of those three."

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "Bubbles, go back and enjoy your date with Cody; Buttercup, Blossom and I can just head back to the lab. See you later."

"Thank you!" Bubbles said, as the quartet made a temporary split.

The Rowdyruff Boys, meanwhile, had landed in another part of town.

They had risen up from the pile of junk they landed in, all bruised and covered in dust.

"Ugh… Man that was a hard hit." Brick complained.

"Swords? Didn't see that one coming." Boomer said, as he rubbed his head in pain.

"No joke," Butch said. "Not only were we outmatched, we were outnumbered, too."

"Hey! Those girls have a new teammate… So why not we make our own?" Brick suggested.

"Great idea!" Boomer said. "Now all we have to do is sneak into that laboratory and use the same formula mama used to make _us!_"

"Um… Minus the monkey hair, please?" Butch said.

"Definitely," Brick said. "We'll just use our own hairs."

"Let's do it!" The trio shouted together.

* * *

Back at the lab, Bridgette was baking some chocolate chip cookies in the lab, while still a little angry with the RowdyRuff Boys.

"Those three are such thorns in my side!" Bridgette said, as she was beating the butter and sugars together.

"Just try to calm down," Buttercup said. "Or you'll overbeat your butter."

"Oh, thanks…" Bridgette said, as she started adding the eggs and vanilla to the cookies. She soon added the dry goods before putting the chocolate in.

She then took a few batches out of the oven once they were done, and set them on a plate at the table.

"It's getting a bit late," Blossom said. "We should get going."

"Good idea," Buttercup said. "See you tomorrow."

The girls then parted ways for the day, but what they did not know was that they were in for a fairly rude awakening the next day.

Once it got dark out, the RowdyRuff Boys made their way to the lab; Boomer cut the power to the security system, and then he gave his brothers the signal to sneak in and steal the Chemical Z.

The boys went into the lab, but they were very careful not to trip on anything. As if it was jinxed, Butch tripped on an empty, metal bucket, and crashed into the table, causing a lot of glass to break.

"Butch!" Brick quietly hissed, as he helped his brother get up. "What are you trying to do; get us caught?!"

"No!" Butch said. "It's just so dark in here that I couldn't see anything!"

"I wonder if that woke anyone up…" Boomer said, in concern.

"Doesn't seem like it," Brick said. "Now let's make sure we find that Chemical Z and get out of here!"

Boomer noticed something out of the corner of his eye: a tasting spoon that Bridgette used.

"Guys, check it out," Boomer said, as he got the spoon. "I think that Bridgette girl used this spoon."

"Great! Keep it," Brick said. "Now let's find the Chemical Z."

The boys kept searching around the lab, when growling was heard.

The boys panicked a little bit before realizing that the growling was their stomachs.

"I guess we haven't eaten anything," Brick said, chuckling. "I'm hungry."

"You're not the only one," Butch said. "Look over there!"

They soon saw the plate of cookies that Bridgette had baked.

"Cookies!" Boomer shouted, but then his brothers used their hands to cover his mouth.

Once again, Poochi, Ken, and the Professor were sleeping like rocks.

"Let's eat." The boys said, before snagging a cookie and then eating them.

"These are great!" Butch said, as he ate his cookies. "Chocolate chip, too! My favorite!"

"Mine, too!" Brick said, as he ate his.

Soon, in a matter of mere minutes, all of the cookies were gone. However, the boys were still hungry.

"There's got to be more food around here!" Boomer said.

Butch opened the freezer and found the chocolate ice cream that Bridgette had made, and Brick found the chocolate sauce and whipped cream in the refrigerator. Boomer also found some cupcakes, as well.

"Yay!" The boys cheered, but then quietly shut themselves up to eat their "meal"

Once they were finished eating, they left a complete mess of the area, and their stomachs were balloons at that point.

"Look! The Chemical Z!" Brick quietly told his brothers, as they soon snagged the contained and made their way out.

However, Butch found a hairbrush with Bridgette's hair on it; Brick found a tissue Bridgette used; Boomer had found another tasting spoon that Bridgette had used to taste her batter.

"We have everything we need," Brick said. "Now let's get out of here!"

The boys then ran out of the lab and back to their hideout to create their new brother; they had snagged the same machine that the monkey had used to create them earlier that afternoon.

The boys plugged the machine in, tightened some loose screws, nailed in a few nails, and overall fixed the machine up before pouring their ingredients in. The Chemical Z went in first, followed by the hair, the spoons, and the tissue. Finally, the boys each pulled out some hair from their head and dropped it into the machine before turning it on.

The machine rumbled a bit before jumping a little bit, but soon, it started whistling like a kettle and then the boys backed up, knowing where this was going.

"Hit the deck!" Brick shouted, as he and his brothers ducked onto the ground to avoid the explosion.

The boys were coughing from the scattered dust and smoke that occurred, but soon, the smoke cleared, and in the place of where the machine was, stood a silhouette of a boy who was about one or two years older.

"So, who's going to get the crap beaten out of them today?" The boy said.

As the smoke cleared completely, the boy was revealed to be wearing a fandango-colored outfit that was similar to the other boys. However, what stood out was that he had a Mohawk and a nose ring. He also had an eyebrow piercing, and a scar on his left cheek. He smirked with his lips open, revealing he also had a fang.

The boys then smiled as they saw their new brother.

* * *

Back at the lab the next morning, the girls had come in, and they screamed when they saw all of the damage done to the lab, the house, and the kitchen, especially.

"What the heck happened in here?" Blossom said.

"Do you get that déjà vu feeling?" Buttercup said, as she looked around at the damage done to the lab.

"Now that you mention it, I certainly feel like this happened once before…" Bubbles said, looking around.

Bridgette soon looked at the plate of cookies she made the other day, only to find it completely empty.

"N… N… _**NOOOOO!"**_ Bridgette hollered in fright. "The cookies I made are all gone!"

"There are crumbs everywhere!" Bubbles said. "How dirty!"

"This mess is just _asking_ for vermin to come!" Bridgette said, in disgust.

"The cookies aren't the only sweets gone," Blossom said, as she looked through the fridge. "The cupcakes, the ice cream, the whipped cream, and the chocolate sauce are gone!"

"Crumbs, sprinkles, melted ice cream all over the floor…" Buttercup said. "No burglar ever cleans up after himself or herself."

The Professor, Ken, and Poochi then came into the room in surprise, and they were shocked at the damage that happened.

"Girls, what happened?" Ken asked.

"That's what _we'd_ like to know." Blossom said.

"We've got a problem!" The professor said, as he came back into the lab. "A container of the Chemical Z is gone!"

"_WHAT?!"_ Everyone shouted.

"Now I remember where this déjà vu is coming from!" Blossom said. "There was a break in here at the lab once before!"

"Yeah! I remember now," Bubbles said. "It was night before the RowdyRuff Boys were created!"

"How come you guys didn't wake up last night?" Buttercup said.

"Um… I guess whoever broke in here didn't want to wake us up." Ken said.

Bridgette then got ticked, and while a vein was throbbing in her forehead, she counted off the number of things that happened on her fingers, as she said, "You mean they came in here, _wrecked the lab and kitchen, __ate all of the desserts I made, __**AND YOU GUYS JUST SLEPT LIKE LOGS?!**_"

"_I guess so." _The men said.

Buttercup then noticed that two of Bridgette's spoons and Bridgette's hairbrush were missing, and then she said, "Bridgette, two of your spoons, your tissue, and your hairbrush are gone."

"What?" Blossom said.

"Missing items, a break in at the lab, missing Chemical Z? What the heck?" Bridgette said, as she paced around. The light bulb then went off in her head. "Blossom, didn't you say that you had that déjà vu feeling?"

"Yes, I did." Blossom said.

"The last time there was a break-in at the lab, it was the night before the creation of the RowdyRuff Boys." Bubbles explained.

"And we just fought those cretins yesterday; this isn't a coincidence," Bridgette said, crossing her arms. "I think it's very likely that the RowdyRuff Boys broke in last night, ate all of the desserts, stole the Chemical Z, and my spoons, hairbrush, and tissue."

"Oh, no!" Blossom said. "I think that the RowdyRuff Boys are planning on creating a new brother to level the playing field!"

"That's just what I was thinking, Blossom!" Bridgette said, as she then got serious.

"Professor! We've got a problem!" The mayor said, as he turned on the videophone and called the lab.

"What's the matter, Mayor?" The Professor said.

"It's the RowdyRuff Boys again!" The Mayor said. "But this time, they have one more boy on the team!"

"I had a feeling this is what would happen," Bridgette said. "Shall we spring into action?"

"_Let's!" _The other three girls said.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The four girls made a group pose together, and they were ready to get to work.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!"_

The foursome then flew out of the lab in a hurry, trying to make it to the scene without a moment wasted.

The girls landed at the scene, seeing craters everywhere, as well as the sock smell, the earwax, and the saliva. However, what stood out to the girls were the craters.

"What kind of childish weapon would be able to create this damage?" Bubbles asked.

"We're about to find out – _**INCOMING**_!" Blossom shouted, as she pointed out what was about to come their way: a grenade.

The four girls flew out of the way as the grenade exploded harmlessly.

"Grenades? Talk about an upgrade." Buttercup said.

"I don't think all four of them upgraded!" Bridgette said, as she pointed at the RowdyRuff Boys.

"Hey, girls!" Brick said, teasingly.

"What do you brats want?" Bridgette said.

"Meet our new brother! Get em!" Brick shouted, and then the boy in fandango leaped up from behind the boys.

He landed in front of the girls and then he put his finger in the nostril without the nose ring, and then said, "Call me _Bosco!_"

"Oh, great, someone just as immature and gross as the other three," Blossom complained. "The nose thing certainly hasn't changed."

"Really?" Bosco said, as he took out a grenade and threw it at the girls.

"_**SCATTER!**_" Bridgette shouted, and then the girls all narrowly avoided it.

"Hey, Bosco, how about teaching that swords girl a lesson!" Boomer said.

"Oh, yeah!" Bosco said, as he smirked and then licked his lips, revealing a tongue piercing.

"Oi, vey…" Bridgette said, as she shuddered.

"Let's get them!" Butch said.

The teams of four then started to run around and fight. Butch and Buttercup were duking it out; Butch kept throwing his socks around and causing Buttercup some breathing problems. She managed to hold her breath and then she finally hit Butch on the head with her hammer.

Boomer and Bubbles were also fighting; Bubbles was flying up in the air and avoiding the earwax assaults that Boomer kept throwing. He used his cotton swabs to throw wads of wax at Bubbles, who used her bubbles to capture the earwax and then she threw it back to Boomer.

As for Blossom and Brick, Blossom kept throwing her yo-yo at Brick, who kept on dodging and soon, the saliva wads that Brick kept shooting, landed on the ground, which Blossom evaded by flying in the air.

"Ha!" Blossom said, as she tied Brick up, and threw him in the crater.

Bridgette and Bosco were really going at it; Bridgette used her swords to slice the grenades, which exploded behind her and then she flew down before kicking Bosco in the stomach. He managed to recover and then he punched Bridgette in the face, but she grabbed his wrist and threw him in another crater.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" Bridgette said, as she tackled Bosco.

"The joke is that it's hard to believe my brothers still believe in cooties, cutie." Bosco said, with a wink.

Bridgette went red in the face from embarrassment as well as anger, and then she kicked Bosco off of her.

"Let's show them what we're made of!" Blossom said. She then shot energy at Buttercup's hammer, who threw it back to Bubbles, who caught the energy and then she threw it to Bridgette, who caught it in her swords and then she shouted, "Let's go! _Katana Energy!_"

Bridgette then unleashed the energy on the boys, but while Brick, Boomer, and Butch took the hit and flew back, Bosco managed to actually _fly_ and then he gave Bridgette a kiss on the cheek before flying off.

"Catch ya later, kitty cat." Bosco said, before giving Bridgette a mock salute and then flying off to find his brothers.

Bridgette put a hand to her cheek before gagging; she turned to her friends, and said, "Let's get out of here; I'm totally humiliated!"

"That kiss must have been embarrassing!" Blossom said, before giving a sympathetic face at her.

The quartet then flew off and they headed back to the lab. Meanwhile, Bosco, who was hiding around the corner, said, "Why should I call those pathetic boys my brothers? I'm more interested in my little kitty cat."

Bosco smirked, revealing his fang, and then he chuckled evilly.

"That was so embarrassing!" Bridgette said, as she was back at the lab, baking cookies for the team again.

"Don't worry about, Bridgette," Buttercup said. "Just be happy you didn't kiss a frog."

"Don't remind me…" Blossom said, sweat dropping; she remembered when she literally kissed a frog and got nothing except an hour's worth of brushing her teeth.

"We'll get those goons next time," Bridgette said. "You brats better be ready for me, RowdyRuff Boys!"

* * *

**Kind of leaving off on the same note like the original episode 20 of this anime, huh. This also is the longest chapter I've done for this story, and I'm excited to see what else I can do. Ready for more? I hope so!**

**Next time…**

**Bridgette: I've invited the girls over to my place for a sleepover!**

**Blossom: Let's just hope it doesn't turn out like the time we went over to Bubbles' place. Remember that, Buttercup?**

**Buttercup: *shudders* Don't remind me!**

**Bubbles: I can't wait to have some fun and get to know Bridgette a little more!**

**Bridgette: But that's not the ONLY reason you three are here...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ready for some semi-déjà vu? Bridgette invites the girls over to her house for a sleepover, but Bridgette has an ulterior motive for bringing the girls: she needs help making a fairly large order for Princess Morbucks. Not what they were expecting, but at least they get to learn how to bake. And leave it to Bridgette to be a great baking expert and teacher! Now if only they knew a little more about their pink-clad pal; this is the opportunity to learn!**

**This chapter will include a lot of baking and pastry facts to show of Bridgette's knowledge base on the industry, as well as a song based on "Apples To The Core" from the "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" episode "Pinkie Apple Pie"**

* * *

_Baking Blowout!_

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were walking down the street where Bridgette's house was. They all had suitcases with them and they were all smiling. They had been invited to a sleepover at Bridgette's house for the night.

"This is the first time we've been to Bridgette's house," Blossom said. "It's just her and her father."

"I guess that makes the house really small compared to Bubbles' place if it's just Bridgette and her father." Buttercup said.

"I'm pretty sure it is," Bubbles said. "But I can't wait to get to know Bridgette better. We hardly know much about her except that she's smart, exceptional with swords, a baking expert…"

"I know how you feel, Bubbles," Blossom said. "I wonder what else she's capable of."

"Let's just hope she didn't invite us over to clean her house," Buttercup said. "Remember when we first went over to Bubbles' house?"

"How could I forget?" Blossom said. "It's nuts how long it takes Bubbles to clean that place."

"Yeah, but it was thanks to you two that we managed to get it done so fast," Bubbles said. "I don't really mind the cleaning, but it takes at least a month to clean the entire house."

"So, how about asking Bridgette to make us some baked goods when we get there?!" Blossom said.

"You really _do_ have sweets on the brain, don't you, Blossom?" Buttercup said, sweat dropping, not amused.

"Wait, here it is! That silver-colored house right there!" Bubbles said, pointed to a house with a silver motif.

"And there's Bridgette!" Blossom pointed out.

"Hey, girls!" Bridgette said, as she was standing outside her house. "Thanks for coming over on such short notice!"

"_Hey, Bridgette!" _The girls said, as they saw Bridgette in the driveway.

"Come on in, girls!" Bridgette said, as she opened the door, and let the girls inside.

"Wow, Bridgette, I can't believe this place is so fancy!" Blossom said, impressed with the interior of the house.

The girls were sitting on the couch in the living room of the house, admiring Bridgette's house. Melvin was upstairs in his study, working on some documents for a case he was working on for a client that was suing a neighbor for cash as compensation for trespassing.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "Dad was specific when he chose the house; he wanted something high-end while slightly inexpensive."

"I can't believe how beautiful the design is," Bubbles said. "If this were a fashion show, the audience would be floored."

"I wouldn't be so surprised," Bridgette said. "My dad is a self-employed lawyer, so our income is rather high."

"I don't think your income is as high as the Morbucks family, though." Blossom said.

"Speaking of which…" Bridgette began, but…

"This is great, being at your house for the night," Buttercup said. "Can't wait to play games and such."

"Well, the sleepover itself is only _part_ of the reason you're here, girls…" Bridgette said, sweat dropping.

"Don't tell us we're here to help you clean the house…" Blossom said.

"Oh, no, but cleaning _will_ be part of the task…" Bridgette said, albeit she was being a bit sheepish on the issue.

"So, what do you need help with?" Bubbles asked.

"…How good are you girls at baking? Cake decorating? Pricing?" Bridgette asked.

"Bubbles is good at baking, but I need some work." Blossom admitted.

"I don't even know _how_ to cook." Buttercup said.

"Okay, so I have my work cut out for me…" Bridgette said, and then she sighed. "I have a rather tall order I need to finish up in a few days, but the amount is so large that it could take me a really long time to finish by the deadline if I even started _last_ week."

"You really are going to have a lot of trouble getting it done on your own?" Blossom asked.

"Baking takes a long time, girls; there's time to create the batter or dough of the product, the bake time, any resting time depending on what you're making. If it's a cake, you need to factor in the chill time when you crumb coat it, decorating time, etc. Just a lot of factors to put in," Bridgette explained. "And a bakery can't work well with solely one person working in it; just one person can't bake in large batches and have those overlap with other orders within a certain time limit, especially if the order is very heavy. I can't fill this order by myself, especially since there's a lot of baking to do within such a short time. That's why I asked you to help me out."

"So how big is this order?" Buttercup asked.

"It started out like this…" Bridgette said.

_~Flashback – Two Weeks Ago~_

It was third period of the day at school, and it was lunch break for the school.

Bridgette, in the classroom, was snacking on some of the chocolate, chocolate chip cookies that she had made the day before, and just as she was about to take another one, another hand came and grabbed one.

"Hey!" Bridgette said, angrily, but then she saw that Princess Morbucks was eating a cookie, and her eyes were closed, as if she were examining the cookie.

Bridgette sweat dropped; she learned the easy way that it was a bad idea to be mean to Princess Morbucks.

"Princess?" Bridgette asked, crossing her arms; she was _NOT_ happy that Princess took a cookie without asking.

Princess then opened her eyes, and took two more cookies from Bridgette, before asking, "Where did you get these?"

"Where did I get them?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes," Princess said. "Whatever bakery made these should be at least a Four-Star bakery."

"I made them myself." Bridgette said, simply.

"You _made_ these?" Princess asked, putting her hands on Bridgette's desk.

"Yes…" Bridgette said, a little nervous.

"Cater my party!" Princess said, as she slammed a large wad of cash on Bridgette's desk.

"Say what?" Bridgette inquired, not sure what Princess was asking.

"My family is having a large party in about two to three weeks, and I've been looking around New Townsville for a bakery that can meet our tastes! Your baking fits the bill perfectly!" Princess said, simply.

"Now hold on! Cater your party?! I'm not a professional yet!" Bridgette said, standing up, in protest.

"I don't care how much they cost, and I couldn't care less that you don't own your own bakery yet," Princess said, crossing her arms. "I want you to make ten cakes for the party! If you do, I'll donate as much money as possible for your tuition for the Culinary School of your choice in the future."

"Um…" Bridgette said, not sure what to say. She was flattered that Princess was willing to do this for her, but such a tall order on such short notice was a bit of a stretch.

"What's the matter?" Princess asked.

"I'm going to need _a lot _of details about what you want for these cakes. It's going to take quite a bit of time for me to make such a big order. There's so much time to factor in, the ingredients needed, the decorations, etc. It's just going to take a long time, so I need you to tell me what you want for flavor, size, decoration, and such. How many tiers, colors, everything." Bridgette explained.

"Okay! I'll get back to you on that." Princess said, as she sashayed away.

_~End of Flashback~_

"That's it…" Bridgette said, but then she took out a slip of paper and handed it to the girls. "This is the design Princess gave to me last week. I need to replicate this design exactly, or for sure, Princess will have my head, I just KNOW it!"

"_This_ is what she wants?" Buttercup asked, getting a good look at the design. "Are you sure you can do a cake this intense?"

"That's why I called you in," Bridgette said. "And she wants ten of these cakes, all in different colors, but there are so many components and details that it would have taken me forever; that's why I need you to help me out."

"Don't worry, Bridgette," Blossom said. "I'm sure we can help you get these cakes done in no time."

"Thanks, girls." Bridgette said, sighing in relief.

"How much have you gotten done?" Bubbles inquired.

"Come with me to the kitchen and I'll show you." Bridgette said, as she stood up and walked to the kitchen.

The girls followed suit, and then Bridgette opened the fridge to reveal around eight cakes that had been crumb-coated. Two were six-inch cakes, three were nine-inch cakes, and the last three were twelve-inch cakes.

"That's a lot of cake. They don't even look done." Blossom said.

"That's because they're not. It takes quite a few hours for crumb coating to set up or else the crumbs will fall into the main coat," Bridgette said. "And this is only half of what I've gotten done. The other… Um… Seven cakes are at Princess's house. One of them is another six inch, while three more are nine-inch cakes, and the last three are more twelve-inch cakes. Each one is a two-layer cake, and all of these are going to make three-tiered cakes. I've only managed to complete around two cakes in total at this point."

She then shut the refrigerator, turned to her friends, and said, "I have eight more to complete. Another three cakes are in the oven, and I'm getting started to get the next ones ready for the oven. Not to mention more crumb coating, cooling, decorating, etc. I'm just swamped."

"That's quite a bit of work," Bubbles said. "We'll help you out."

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "But… I need you three to listen to my instructions and follow my formulas to a T or else the products are going to be completely different. Trust me; even the slightest discrepancy has a large outcome on the finished product."

"_OKAY!" _The three girls said.

"Thanks, girls," Bridgette said, about to cry tears of joy. "I don't know if I would be able to complete this on my own."

"Let's get baking!" Blossom said, as she started to grab for an apron.

"Not in those clothes, you're not," Bridgette said, grabbing Blossom's arm and stopping her. "You're not wearing the right uniform for this."

"There's a uniform?" Buttercup asked. "Please tell me it doesn't have a skirt!"

"Don't worry about that, Buttercup; there isn't a skirt in the chef uniform," Bridgette said. "Skirts wouldn't be safe in this industry anyway. I have some spare chef uniforms in the closet; I'll get them."

Within the next few minutes, the girls, Bridgette included, were all in chef jackets, wearing hats that held all of their hair in them, aprons, black checkered pants, and leather, non-slip shoes. They were all in the girls' trademark colors.

"Okay, girls, now that we're all dressed, we can get to work. Now if you're used to using volume in baking, that's going out the window _as of right now_." Bridgette said, as she showed her friends the kitchen.

"How are you able to store all of your ingredients?" Buttercup asked.

"Princess let me use some of the baking ingredients that are at her place; she's letting me come and go to gather them up as I please." Bridgette explained, as she got out a digital scale, the cake flour, the baking powder, butter, shortening, sugar, etc.

"Wouldn't we have to go back to Morbucks Manor to get the other cakes to decorate them back here?" Blossom inquired.

"That, too," Bridgette said. "Long story short, we have _a lot of work_ to do. We're not going to go without breaks, that much I can promise, but we've got a tight deadline; no lollygagging, okay?"

The trio nodded, and then Bubbles said, "Just let us know what we need to do."

"Okay, then. Everything is by weight in these formulas; let me go over some basics right now. One pound is sixteen ounces, and when talking _solely_ about eggs, milk, and water, a pint's a pound the world around, meaning that one pint of eggs, milk, or water is the same as one _pound_ of the same item. This way, you can just measure out a gallon of water, and that would be eight pounds of water or such. The digital scales are very accurate; it can measure one eighth of an ounce at its smallest. I'll need you to weigh off everything I ask before handing it off to me. Princess has allowed me to use some of the forty to sixty quart mixers here at the house, so it's going to take at least two of us at the mixers." Bridgette said.

"_Alright," _The trio said._ "Just show us what we need to do!"_

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "Let's just be sure not to fight with each other or make a lot of noise down here; we don't want to break dad's concentration over there."

"You got it." Buttercup said.

"Okay; Buttercup, Blossom, I need the two of you to weigh off five pounds, four ounces of granulated sugar, fifteen ounces of corn oil, and one pint, or one pound, of eggs. Bubbles, I need you over here with me to weigh off three pounds of pastry flour, plus another four pounds of cake flour." Bridgette said, as she gave the girls a list of what they needed to measure out.

"Why not just use all-purpose flour?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette had a vein in her forehead throb at this question; she calmed down, and then said, "It's the protein content in the flour. All-purpose flour isn't strictly speaking, all-purpose. It has the median amount of protein out of all five kinds of flours."

Bridgette started weighing off the pastry flour while Bubbles was scaling off the cake flour as she said this.

"There are _five kinds_ of flours?" Blossom asked.

"Pastry flour, cake flour, all-purpose flour, bread flour, and high-gluten flour. Each one has a different level of protein in it. The more protein in the flour, the more gluten is produced and the chewier the finished product. Since this is _cake_ we're talking about, a combination of cake and pastry flour is just what we need." Bridgette explained, while weighing out the baking powder.

"You even have to weigh the smaller stuff, too?" Buttercup asked, as she set up the sixty quart.

"Everything," Bridgette said, as she soon set the dried goods aside. "How are you two doing over there?"

"Were' doing fine; could you check our work?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette looked at the pint of eggs, and soon saw something off: there were eggshells at the bottom.

"Um… How exactly did you crack the eggs?" Bridgette inquired.

"On the rim of the bowls, why?" Buttercup asked.

Bridgette face-palmed herself and then she said, "Typical. Look, girls, that's not how it's done professionally. Cracking eggs on a _flat_ surface prevents the shell from getting inside the eggs and then in the product as a result. However, this is an easy fix; just add the eggs slowly, especially the final ones."

"Oh…" Blossom said.

"Okay, now that that's cleared up…" Bridgette said. "Bubbles, how are you doing over there with the salt?"

"Weighed off perfectly!" Bubbles said.

"Yep, that's three ounces of salt." Bridgette said, examining the products.

The girls soon got the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl, and with Bridgette taking charge, the girls soon got the batter mixing.

"Okay, this is going to take a few minutes, so for now, let's clean up the place and get started on the frosting." Bridgette said, as she soon got the sanitizer and soap out.

The girls were cleaning like crazy, just like Buttercup and Blossom did at Bubbles' place that one time.

Buttercup was about to scratch her face when Bridgette shouted, "Hands off your face, Buttercup! Health code!"

"Okay…" Buttercup said.

However, a few instances occurred when the girls either fought or had a bit of a disagreement.

"Hey! That's the wrong kind of sugar!" Buttercup shouted at Blossom, who was carrying a large sack of dark brown sugar.

"What's the difference between regular sugar and dark brown?!" Blossom asked.

"_GIRLS_! Your arguing is as helpful to this order as leeches on a dead person!" Bridgette said, breaking up the fight.

"But how can the leeches help if the person is dead?" Bubbles asked.

"They _can't_," Bridgette said sweat dropping. "That's exactly the point of the phrase."

After the girls panned up the batter, with quite a bit left over, the girls took a breather to just calm down before getting the buttercream frosting ready.

"Now that that's done… Blossom, I need three pounds of butter; Bubbles, could you please weigh out six pounds of powdered sugar? And buttercup, I need _emulsified_ shortening; a pound and a half, specifically." Bridgette said, as she went over the list.

"On it!" The trio said, as they then split up.

Blossom took out a pound of salted butter, when Bridgette said, "Hold it, Blossom! That's the wrong butter! We need _unsalted_."

"Here's the right butter." Bubbles said, as she took out several blocks of unsalted butter.

Buttercup was about to start weighing off the standard kind of shortening, when Bridgette said, "Um, wrong shortening."

Buttercup then put it back.

* * *

As the girls were mixing up the frosting and the cakes were in the oven, the girls were also cleaning up the kitchen.

"Sorry if I was being a little bossy back there, girls," Bridgette said. "But baking isn't simply opening up a cake mix and just following the instructions on the back; it takes a lot more knowledge and physical activity, too."

"That's okay," Blossom said. "You're just trying to make sure Princess likes your work."

"_Our_ work, Blossom." Bridgette said.

The girls then started laughing as Bridgette took the cakes out of the oven and used a toothpick to check their doneness; they were perfect.

"Now we need to let them cool; shall we take a break?" Bridgette inquired.

"_LET'S!" _The girls said.

While still in their chef clothing, the girls were playing a game of charades while keeping an ear out for the timer.

"I knew you were an expert in this field, Bridgette, but I didn't know how much of an expert until today." Blossom said; the girls had switched from charades to Go-Fish.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "I've been baking since I was about ten or eleven years old. It was the only thing to keep me occupied while my brother and I endured a lot of the fighting my parents did before they split."

She then pot down a pair of threes in the card pile.

"That's right," Bubbles said. "I remembered that your parents were divorced."

"Ancient history, Bubbles," Bridgette said, as her face became sad. "The only thing that would make my new life here better, as well as my new powers would be having my little brother here."

However, just as she was about to continue, the timer went off for the cakes.

"Crumb coating and cooling is done," Bridgette said. "Back to work."

The girls were base-frosting the cakes, with Bridgette instructions, and they were being very careful not to ruin the coating.

"Okay, always put the old frosting, the kind with crumbs, in a container separate from the clean frosting." Bridgette said, as the trio kept working.

Soon, the girls, using their superpowers, brought the last of the cakes to Morbucks manor to chill.

"So, you promise to bring yourself over here with the others tomorrow to finish the decorating for most of the cakes?" Princess asked, as Bridgette and company left the house.

"I promise on my baker's pride!" Bridgette said.

"Good. See you tomorrow." Princess said, before shutting the door.

"That was easier than normal," Buttercup said. "Normally, Princess is a royal…"

"Quiet! It's not nice to talk junk about clients, no matter how difficult." Bridgette said, covering Buttercup's mouth.

Back at Bridgette place, the girls had gotten the rest of the cakes finished up and in Princess's fridge at the house.

"Man, that was hard work…" Buttercup said, as she pressed on her back. "Who knew baking was such active work?"

"I did…" Bridgette said, as the girls changed out of their chef uniforms and sat on the sofa, continuing their card game.

"So, tell us about your brother." Blossom said.

"…Okay…" Bridgette said, sadly. "Long story short, we were two peas in a pod. We relied on each other for relief and comfort whenever our parents would start up their constant fights. All Heck kept breaking loose on a daily basis. The only thing to keep me occupied and my brother happy was baking; mom and dad were too busy with their arguments to notice."

"That must have been hard on you," Bubbles said. "What's your brother like?"

Bridgette started crying a little bit while she said, "He was a really good boy. Never being naughty, always doing his homework and chores, but I was always there to pitch in. He wasn't like normal boys his age, like the RowdyRuffs. We almost never fought."

"_Almost_?" Blossom asked.

"The only times we ever had an argument was over what kind of baked good I would make that day." Bridgette said, with a smile.

The girls sweat dropped a bit at hearing this.

"Any friends back at your old school?" Bubbles asked.

"No… I was always trying to stay out of trouble, so I almost never spoke out in school," Bridgette said. "It wasn't exactly helpful that I…"

Bridgette hesitated and then she said, "I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with."

"_We beg to differ."_ The other girls said, with a laugh.

"You really think I'm that good of a person to get along with?" Bridgette said.

Blossom nodded, and Buttercup said, "No one can handle a sword the way you do!"

"And I've never met a girl who can analyze the components of a baked good with just one bite!" Blossom said.

"You're a very smart girl," Bubbles said. "Why wouldn't anyone want to be your friend?"

"Quite a few reasons. You've seen my stubborn side," Bridgette said. "Amongst other things."

"Girls," Melvin said, as he came downstairs. "How is the baking going?"

"We're doing fine, dad," Bridgette said. "We worked off our butts today. I think it's safe to say we should pick up where we left off tomorrow morning."

"Good idea," Melvin said. "I know it's early, but what do you girls want for dinner?"

"Pizza!"; "No, I want Chinese!"; "Can we do hamburgers?" ; "Why not just go out to dinner?"

"I think we should just go out to eat," Bridgette said, agreeing with Blossom. "I'm tuckered out."

"_Agreed." _Everyone else said, while laughing happily after they came to an agreement.

The group soon went out to a local restaurant that Bridgette had taken a liking too, and they were very happy with their meals; Bridgette was also very pleased by how good the food was.

Blossom had ordered a hamburger with all of the fixings, along with a large order of fries, a lot of ketchup and such, and she was chowing down like crazy.

Bubbles had gotten a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, with grated Parmesan cheese. She also had a Caesar salad with her meal.

Buttercup was munching like crazy on a large, T-bone steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc., and she was really not minding her table manners until Bubbles gave Buttercup a rather hard look.

As for Bridgette, she had a grilled chicken breast with marinated asparagus and a side of rice; she was eating very nicely, and trying her best to make conversation with the other girls about something other than baking or being superheroes. Then again, the latter would not have been a good topic to discuss to begin with.

"So, tomorrow morning, we're going to get decorating, right?" Blossom said.

"That's right; once we wake up, we'll head over to Princess's house. She's letting me take charge of their kitchen for the day. The equipment is so professional that if she wanted it to be, it could be a commercial kitchen. Hope you girls are ready for a lot of kneading tomorrow. We've got a lot of modeling chocolate, fondant, frosting, and such to make and use to decorate the cakes with. All ten of them, that is…" Bridgette said.

"Now, just relax for a little bit, girls." Melvin said.

* * *

After the group finished dinner and Melvin paid the bill, the group went back to Bridgette's house.

As it was getting late, the girls decided to get ready for bed, but were not quite ready to fall asleep as of yet. The girls got changed into their pajamas, brushed their teeth, and such.

Bridgette's night clothing consisted of a pale pink nightgown with her hair down, barefoot, and the gown itself was pretty basic.

The girls went into Bridgette's bedroom, which was littered with cookbooks, cake design books, including one by Carol Vance about some of her best wedding cakes.

"Wow, Bridgette, all of these books are yours?" Blossom said, as she looked at all of the pictures in the books. "These cakes are so beautiful! These were made by professionals?"

"That's right," Bridgette said. "And this is what line of work I want to go into when I get older. Even if I have to be a PowerPuff Girl for the rest of my life, it's my passion." Bridgette said, smiling.

"You're not the only one who wants to stay a PowerPuff Girl for life but still have a career," Buttercup said. "All three of us have goals in life, but we couldn't imagine our lives not being the PowerPuff Girls now."

"Really? What dreams do you three have?" Bridgette asked, as she sat on the bed.

"I'm actually hoping to get married some day," Blossom said, with a blush. "Albeit the way my luck with boys is, that's probably not likely to happen."

"You never know about that, Blossom," Bubbles said. "I want to become a fashion designer when I get older, but I still want to be able to be PowerPuff Girl as well."

"And what about you, Buttercup?" Bridgette said. "Knowing _you_, it's probably athletic."

"You hit the nail on the head, Bridgette," Buttercup said. "I want to become a professional wrestler!"

"Pro wrestling?!" Bridgette said. "What gave you _that_ goal?"

"Buttercup has an older brother and a younger brother, and a pro wrestler for a father. I guess growing up in a male-dominant environment turned her into a tomboy, and she wants to be a masked wrestler like her father." Blossom explained.

"…Remind me never to go over to your house unannounced." Bridgette said, but then the four girls started laughing.

"So, what kind of decorations are we doing for the cakes tomorrow?" Blossom asked.

"It's pretty simple," Bridgette said. "Gum paste flowers, fondant star cuts, frosting roses, candy diamonds… We've got a lot. Good thing we crumb coated all of the cakes. We also have the dowels to put in, the cake boards, etc…"

"Sounds like we've got a lot of work to do." Bubbles said.

"All the more reason to try, and get some sleep." Buttercup said.

"So let's get some sleep, then." Bridgette said.

The girls went into their sleeping bags while Bridgette slept in her own bed; Bridgette turned out the lights and the quartet went to sleep.

Bridgette had set the alarm clock for seven in the morning so the girls could get up early to get to work.

* * *

After a good night's rest, the girls had woken up to the alarm clock. They went downstairs to see that Melvin had made pancakes for the girls.

"Morning, Dad," Bridgette said, as she sat at the table with the girls. "Chocolate chip pancakes; my favorite!"

Bridgette and the girls then started to chow down on the pancakes, and each girl had a morning drink with their plate. Bridgette had milk, Blossom had apple juice, Buttercup also had milk, and Bubbles had orange juice.

"Great strawberry pancakes!" Blossom said, as she ate her pancakes.

"I love these blueberry pancakes!" Bubbles said, as she took a bite of blueberry pancake.

As for Buttercup, she just had plain pancakes with a side of bacon.

"I hope you girls are ready to go to Princess's place to finish off the cakes," Melvin said. "I'm sure that Bridgette has never had an order this tall before."

"No joke," Bridgette said. "So let's get back to work once we're done."

The four girls then finished eating their pancakes and soon got down to business by going to Princess's house.

"So, you brought Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup along to help you out?" Princess asked, as she led the girls to the kitchen.

"Yes," Bridgette said. "Just like it takes more than one ingredient to bake a cake, it takes more than one person to fill a large order like this on their own."

"Well said," Princess said. "Now, I had my chefs provide you with large amounts of ingredients you may need."

"This is appreciated very much, Princess," Bridgette said. "I promise not to let you down."

"You'd best not!" Princess said, as she left the area.

"Shall we get to work?" Bridgette asked her friends.

"_Let's do it!" _The other three girls said together.

Bridgette got out some pink modeling chocolate and started to cut flower petals out to create modeling chocolate roses.

With her instruction, Blossom had managed to roll out pink fondant for covering the cakes, and Buttercup had made modeling chocolate leaves out of green modeling chocolate.

"What's modeling chocolate made out of, anyway?" Bubbles asked.

"It's basically just melted white chocolate and corn syrup. White modeling chocolate is more versatile than brown because brown can't be dyed different colors, so it's more used." Bridgette explained, as she made some sugar diamonds by pouring a sugar mixture into a diamond mold.

"That looks great!" Buttercup said, as she saw Bridgette cover a twelve-inch cake with black fondant and she then decorated it with white modeling chocolate stars that had pink marbling in them.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "It's going to take a lot more than this to finish the job, so let's hustle!"

With help from the girls, Bridgette had managed to help erect the first cake; using dowels, she kept all of the cakes stabilized and she then put the final piping on the edges.

"Don't use that tip! It has a dent; the piping won't be clean." Bridgette said, as she saw Blossom pick up a star tip that was bent a little bit.

"Sorry…" Blossom said, putting the tip back.

"Buttercup, how are the tiara cookies going over there?" Bridgette asked.

"All done!" Buttercup said.

Bridgette examined them and then she gave Buttercup a nod, indicating that she was happy.

"Bubbles! The ribbons?" Bridgette called over, asking how Bubbles was doing with the fondant ribbons.

"Almost done." Bubbles said.

"You might want to redo these three over here, Bubbles," Bridgette said. "The strips are a little uneven and the loops don't match."

"Roger that!" Bubbles said, as they soon got back to work.

For another five hours straight, the girls worked on decorating the cakes nonstop. Bridgette and Blossom were putting on the last touches to the decorations, which were piping and sugar pearls; Bubbles was finishing off the ribbons and putting them on the cake, while Buttercup was using her strength to help the girls lift and assemble the cake.

"Okay… You're good… And centered! Put it down!" Bridgette said, and then the girls put the top tier on cake number eight.

"Nice work…" Blossom said. "How many more cakes do we need to assemble, Bridgette?"

"Only two more," Bridgette said. "We just need to assemble those two cakes and we're done."

"But can we take a break?" Bubbles asked. "I'm tired."

"We've only been at this for seven hours, Bubbles," Bridgette said. "Please, _please_ don't wimp out on me now."

"But that's _seven hours_," Blossom said. "We need a break."

"In this line of work, a lot of stamina is needed," Bridgette said. "We need to keep going, or Princess will have our heads!"

However, just as Bridgette was about to say something else, Princess walked into the room, and interrupted the girls.

"Princess! What can I do for you?" Bridgette asked.

"I'm here to ask for a progress report!" Princess said.

"Only two more cakes to assemble," Bridgette said. "We'll finish up right away."

"Good," Princess said. "I want the four of you to come to this party, too."

"_What?!"_ The four girls said.

"I'm willing to endorse you for your future in this industry, Bridgette," Princess said. "Just come to the party and you'll be fine."

"Oh, Princess… Thank you!" Bridgette said, as she started crying tears of joy. "We'll finish those cakes! That I can promise!"

"Good," Princess said, with a nod. "I'll be back in a few hours to check up on you."

"Let's get back to work, girls!" Bridgette said, as she took out another container of fondant and started dying it orange.

"A little to the left…" Bridgette said, as her friends were centering the second cake tier on the ninth cake they had to make. "Now a little more to the right… Okay, you're centered!"

The girls put the cake down, and then Bridgette said, "Good work, girls; now for the third tier."

"Bridgette, you really know what you're doing," Blossom said. "I'm surprised you're asking rookies like us to help."

"You're the only ones I trust," Bridgette said. "You can't exactly blame me for going up to another classmate to help. You're the only girls I've let in so far."

"I see…" Bubbles said, as she got the last tier out of the fridge. "So you're only capable of counting on us for this?"

Bridgette nodded, and then she got up on the stepstool; Buttercup and Blossom were getting the last cake centered to top it off, and then with a little instruction from Bridgette, the girls succeeded in finishing the cakes.

"_FINALLY!_" Bridgette said, as she put the last cake into the fridge and then she slumped into a chair to rest up. "We're done. I love baking, but this was overkill…"

"You said it…" Blossom said, as she sat down on another stool. "I never knew baking could get this complicated."

"If you're going professional, you can't treat this like a hobby. There's just a lot to factor in with this…" Bridgette said. "Now, the party is tomorrow night. We need to get ready for it."

"I have plenty of dresses at my house; let's go look at them later today." Bubbles said.

"Hold on," Blossom said. "Bridgette, do you know any details about what the dress code for the party is?"

"Sorry, no…" Bridgette said, sighing.

"Don't worry about it," Princess said, as she came inside the room. "I can help you. We have plenty of ballroom gowns in the closets. Browse through them as much as you like."

"Thank you, Princess!" Bubbles said.

"F-Formal?! Ugh…" Buttercup said, shuddering.

"Right… I forgot that you hate dresses, Buttercup." Bridgette said, sweat dropping.

"I can cope this time around…" Buttercup said, as she took a deep breath.

* * *

The girls soon went into the closets and saw all of the dresses that Princess had on her.

"I love this one!" Blossom said, as she found a ruffled ballroom gown in bright red. It had a surplice neckline and the bottom half was modest with a slight part near the leg. It had a red satin sash in the center, and it came with red high heels, as well as ruby jewelry.

"This is amazing!" Bubbles said.

She found a powder blue ballroom gown with a V-neck neckline and it had layered fabric on the skirt to resemble a baby blue rose; it came with matching high heel shoes and sapphire jewelry.

"Any luck, Buttercup?" Blossom asked.

Buttercup was shivering at all of the clothes she was looking at; having to pick a dress out was something that she was _not_ looking forward to.

"I'll take that facial expression as a 'no'…" Bridgette said, as she looked around. "Here's a green one."

Buttercup then took out a green cocktail dress with a scoop neckline and green rhinestones on it, as well as high heel shoes that had straps like a ballerina's shoes that went up her leg.

"This should do it…" Buttercup said, albeit she still felt like throwing up.

"Just be lucky it's only for a few hours, Buttercup." Blossom said, as she and Bubbles were modeling their dresses.

"How are you doing over there, Bridgette?" Blossom asked, as Bridgette was still in the closet.

Bridgette picked a pale pink dress that had a sweetheart neckline, and was strapless. It had false diamonds on the skirt and it was a long, ballroom gown. It came with high heel shoes with straps, and a hairpin that was a pale pink rose.

"Oh, this one is perfect!" Bridgette said, as she tried it on, and was successful with that particular dress.

"You look great, Bridgette!" Blossom said. "But we'd better not upstage Princess. You know how she gets when that happens…"

"No joke." Bridgette said, with a shrug.

* * *

The next evening, the girls were in their eveningwear, standing around the cakes. There were around five hundred or more guests, so Bridgette was relieved they made enough cake.

"So this young lady here was the one who made the cakes? I'm impressed; she doesn't look much older than Miss Princess." An older gentleman said, as he sampled a piece of the cake.

"I could swear that Chef Carol Vance made these, but a teenage girl? She's a prodigy." Another man said, as he ate.

"They're overpraising me…" Bridgette said, as she sweat dropped.

"Calm down," Blossom said. "Princess is going to make sure the spotlight is on her."

"Here's an idea!" An older woman said. "Let's have our little pastry chef and her friends sing a song for this!"

"Spoke too soon?" Buttercup asked.

"I think so…" Blossom said.

"I don't think that's a bad idea," Bubbles said. "We know how Bridgette is on vocals."

"Fine…" Bridgette said. "But you three need to sing with me, okay?"

"That's fair." Blossom said.

"Let's do it." Bubbles said.

The girls were soon on stage, and then they each had a microphone.

"Before we start, this song is more of a country-western song; not something you would hear at a formal party like this…" Bridgette said. "But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless."

Music then started up, and Blossom started; she sang, _"Come on, girls! Y'all know this one!"_

"_I'm digging it!" _Bridgette sang.

"_Let's go!" _Blossom sang.

"_M-hm!" _Buttercup sang.

"_We traveled the town of true blue friendship! Joined by a common bond… We sing our song 'cross the whole nation, from New Townsville and beyond!" _Blossom sang.

"_We're gal-pals forever, gal-pals together. We're buddies, but so much mo~ore! No matter what comes, we will face the weather! We're gal-pals to the core!" _Bubbles and Blossom sang together.

"_M-hm!" _Buttercup sang.

"_There's no place that I'd rather be, than with all three of my buddies! Friends all around come to join and see as we sing out across the land!" _Bubbles sang.

"_We're gal-pals forever, gal-pals together. We're buddies but so much mo~re! No matter what comes, we will face the weather! We're gal-pals to the core!" _Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom sang.

"_We're peas in a pod, we're thick as thieves! Any cliché you can throw at me. We're here for each other through thick and thin! You're always welcome with your gal-pal kin!" _Buttercup sang, as she put her arm around Bridgette's shoulder, who smiled.

"_Wheee!" _The girls sang, as Bridgette took her solo.

"_You're more fun than the color PINK! Or some fruits floating in your favorite drink! The love I feel here is swim, not sink! As we party across this land!" _Bridgette sang.

"_All right!" _The girls sang together.

"_We're gal-pals forever, gal-pals together! We're buddies, but so much mo~ore! No matter what comes, we will face the weather! We're gal-pals to the core!" _The girls sang together, and then they made an ending pose while the guests cheered them all on.

"That was fun," Bridgette said, as she ate one of the snacks at the party, while she saw how everyone else was enjoying her cake. "And baking the cakes was all it took for us to get here. Thanks, you three."

"No problem," Blossom said. "A friend in need is a friend indeed, right?"

"Touche!" Bridgette said.

The three girls then started laughing as they enjoyed their night together.

Once the party was over, all of the cake was gone; it was really popular.

"Bridgette, your cake was a hit!" Princess said. "I don't even care that the spotlight was hogged by you and your friends! You did great work! Here's a ten percent bonus on the free!"

Bridgette smiled, and she told Princess, "Thank you, Princess."

The girls then went back home for the night, with Bridgette thinking, _'It's nice to see that I've found friends I can rely on.'_

* * *

**Sorry about the constant baking lessons in here; if I bored you with this, please forgive me. I didn't expect this to happen. I hope you liked it, either way. **

**Oh, by the way, the name "Carol Vance" is actually a name I made up in reference to one of the most famous sugar artists in the world, Kerry Vincent.**

**And yes, I know Princess was OOC in this one, but I had to do something! It wasn't like I can just make Princess act like the brat she normally is without giving the girls a bit of the limelight, right?**

**Next time…**

**Buttercup: Come on… Come on! There has to be a skirt in here somewhere!**

**Bridgette: Did I hear her right?! **_**Buttercup**_**, wearing a **_**skirt**_**, of all things?!**

**Bubbles: **_**That's **_**out of character.**

**Blossom: I think **_**I**_** know why…**

**?: Hey, Blossom. Been a long time.**

**Bubbles and Bridgette: Who are you?!**

**Buttercup: *faints in the girls' arms* Oh…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Today, Buttercup is going to flip the script! When Blossom's dashing older cousin, Ricardo, moves to town, it's episode 44 all over again, but Bridgette is CLEARLY confused about what's going on. After explaining what happened, Bridgette expresses concern over the idea of Buttercup going on a date with Ricardo, while Buttercup is acting **_**COMPLETELY**_** out of character. **

**And yes, I know the title of this chapter is the same as a title to an episode of the Original Powerpuff Girls, but go with me, here!**

* * *

_Buttercrush!_

It was another, calm day at the lab; everything was peaceful, and no trouble was being caused in the city.

The girls had a large basket, a folded blanket, a thermos, and some snack items on a large table. The girls were running in and out of the lab, packing food items and beverages of all varieties.

"So, are we ready for our picnic in the park?" Blossom asked.

"I just packed a lot of cookies and other sweets!" Bridgette said, as she pointed out her signature chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, her best cupcakes, and some brownies.

"Leave the protein-packed stuff to me!" Buttercup said, presenting some beef tenderloin that Bubbles had taught Buttercup to broil and keep hot in the right containment unit. She also had brought plastic knives and forks for the picnic.

"I brought salad!" Bubbles said, as she presented a large, Caesar salad, with the Parmesan on the side; she knew not everyone liked Parmesan.

"Beverages are on me!" Blossom said, as she showed off all of the sodas, waters, and juices she brought; Blossom also brought plastic cups for the girls to drink out of.

"What about Cody?" Bridgette asked Bubbles. "What did he bring?"

"He brought some soup in that thermos right there," Bubbles said, indicating the thermos, soup bowls, and spoons. "He said he would bring more."

"This is going to be a great picnic!" Blossom said. "So let's get going!"

"Um, Blossom, shouldn't we wait for Cody?" Buttercup asked.

"She's right," Bridgette said, crossing her arms, as she closed the basket. "It would be really rude to leave without him!"

The door to the lab soon opened, and then Cody's voice came out, saying, "I'm here!"

"Perfect timing, Cody." Bubbles said, as she saw her boyfriend come in.

"Ready to go?" Blossom asked.

"Right," Cody said. "I brought more soup, too."

"We've got a lot of food, so if there's leftovers, it is what it is!" Bridgette said.

"Let's just hope and alert doesn't happen," Buttercup said. "I need a break from all of the monsters."

"Don't we all, Buttercup, don't we all?" Bubbles said, and then all of the teenagers laughed happily at this comment.

"Let's hurry to the park!" Blossom said. "Before our food gets cold… Or warm in some cases."

The group then started walking to the park; they decided not to fly or risk ruining the food, or blowing their cover. Cody and Bubbles were holding hands while the other girls were ahead of the couple.

"This is going to be the best picnic ever," Bridgette said. "I haven't been on a picnic in forever!"

"This will be a nice change of pace, won't it?" Buttercup said.

"It sure will be," Bridgette replied. "So, let's go!"

However, Blossom stopped walking for a second, and then Bubbles, noticing this, asked, "Blossom, what's the matter?"

Blossom was merely looking at a house that had just been bought, and renovations were still being done on it. Blossom seemed really focused on the house in particular; seeing this, Bridgette and the others were confused about Blossom's sudden interest in the house.

"It's nothing big," Blossom said. "Shall we head to the park?"

Bridgette and Buttercup looked at each other and then they said, "Okay."

At the park, the girls, and Cody, were eating quite a bit, and were enjoying the food to a T.

"Wow, Buttercup, are you sure this is just your first time making beef tenderloin?" Cody asked, as he ate some of the meat.

"Yeah; I couldn't have done it without Bubbles." Buttercup said, sweat dropping, and rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, we all have our talents and our weak points," Bridgette said. "Admitting when you need help is key, isn't it, Blossom?"

Blossom seemed a little distracted by the house from earlier; she thought, _'I guess he's already here.'_

"Blossom… Earth to leader girl!" Bridgette said, waving her hand in front of Blossom's face.

Blossom blinked, and then she said, "Oh, sorry; I was distracted."

"What's gotten into you?" Buttercup said.

However, just as Blossom was about to answer, someone shouted, "BOO!"

The five teens then jumped, but luckily, they did not spill any of their food.

"Hahahahahaha!" A male voice said, and then the girls turned around to see a boy around their age, maybe a few months older.

He had silver hair, and was very muscular; opening one eye while still laughing, his eyes were revealed to be steel-grey. He was wearing a "Masked Wonder" T-shirt, which revealed his biceps and other muscles. However, even underneath his shirt, it was revealed he had a six-pack abdomen. His running pants and sneakers were grey, as well.

"Hey!" Cody said, standing up; he was NOT happy about someone just going in and scaring them like that.

"That wasn't very nice." Bubbles said, as she crossed her arms, sadly.

Buttercup was merely staring at the young man, more specifically, his biceps. Buttercup also took note of his face, which she found handsome. Her face was tinting red and she felt her chest throb a few times.

"Ricardo?!" Blossom said, surprised.

"_YOU KNOW HIM?!" _Cody and the girls, minus Buttercup, shouted to Blossom.

Hearing this, Buttercup's face became sad for some reason; Bridgette noticed this, and she grew curious as to what was going through Buttercup's head.

"Hey, Bloss, how've you been?" He asked, as Blossom stood up, and they then hugged.

Seeing this, Buttercup was dumbfounded, about to flip out in fear of something; Bridgette, again, noticed this, and she grew curious, thinking, _'What's going on?'_

"I've been doing great!" Blossom said. "Things around New Townsville certainly have been eventful."

"Yeah, I heard about all of that," Ricardo said, and then noticed the others. "I see you've made some friends."

"Oh, where are my manners?" Blossom said. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Ricardo."

"It's nice to meet you all." Ricardo said, as he made a mock-salute, and a wink.

Buttercup then blushed red as she then started acting a little strange; shy, specifically.

"First off, this is Bubbles," Blossom said, as Bubbles and Ricardo shook hands. "She's our fashion expert."

Cody and Ricardo then shook hands while trying their best not to crush each other's bones.

"Cody is Bubbles' boyfriend and childhood friend, too," Blossom said, as she made the introduction. "They've got quite a bit of history."

"Nice to meet you, Cody," Ricardo said. "Treat Bubbles with respect, okay?"

"Why wouldn't I? She's done so much for me." Cody said, albeit he refrained from elaborating on what.

"Next, our newest friend, Bridgette," Blossom said, as Bridgette offered Ricardo a cookie. "Isn't her baking the best?"

Eating a cookie, Ricardo said, "My highest compliments to the pastry chef!"

"Thanks…" Bridgette said, but was skeptical.

"And finally, our group's tomboy, Buttercup." Blossom said.

Buttercup was red in the face as she shook hands with Ricardo; as she got a better look at his eyes, her red tint got deeper, and then she felt her heart accelerating.

"I-It's nice to meet you…" Buttercup said, diverting her eyes away. _'He's so muscular!'_

"Likewise." Ricardo said, and gave Buttercup a wink; Buttercup's heart skipped a beat at this.

"So, what are you doing in New Townsville?" Blossom asked Ricardo.

"Folks decided to move out here; thought it would be easier to be close to the kin in case of trouble." Ricardo said, with a shrug.

"I guess we'll be seeing each other more often, then, huh?" Blossom said.

"Yep!" Ricardo said, as he rubbed Blossom's head. "Count on me coming over to check up on Kasey later; I'll be enrolled at your school, as well."

Ricardo then made a mock-salute before leaving the park.

"Blossom…" Buttercup asked, as she approached Blossom from behind. She then grabbed Blossom's shoulders.

"What's the matter?" Blossom inquired.

"_Who was that?!" _Buttercup asked, almost desperate. _"How do you two know each other?!" _

"Whoa, Buttercup, calm down," Blossom said. "Ricardo is my cousin."

"_Your cousin?"_ Everyone asked.

"Yep," Blossom said. "He's older than us by about six months."

"That's relieving…" Buttercup muttered.

"What was that?" Bubbles asked.

Buttercup refused to answer, as she watched Ricardo leave; her eyes turned to hearts and she was blushing.

"Buttercup? Buttercup? _**EARTH TO TOMBOY?!**_" Bridgette shouted, waving her hand in front of Buttercup's face.

Buttercup refused to answer.

"Uh-oh…" Bubbles said, with a smile and sweat drop.

"Here we go again…" Blossom said.

"What? What's going on?" Bridgette asked.

Blossom and Bubbles merely sighed and sweat dropped at this; Cody and Bridgette were confused.

"Blossom, tell me more about Ricardo!" Buttercup demanded. "Favorite color? What sports does he play? Favorite food?!"

"He likes silver… He's a great archer, and while he doesn't do it himself, he likes wrestling…!" Blossom said.

Buttercup then sighed as she then fainted into Bridgette's arms, much to everyone's surprise.

"Whoa, Buttercup!" Bridgette said, as she tried to rouse her tomboy buddy. "Are you feeling okay? You're flipping the script on us here by asking about Ricardo."

"She's right; why _are_ you so interested, anyway?" Blossom asked.

Once again, Buttercup did not answer, as she just sighed dreamily, thinking about Ricardo.

"I think I answered my own question…" Blossom said, with an awkward laugh.

Buttercup then went red in the face before saying, "Hey! What do you mean 'why am I so interested', Blossom?!"

"Well, the last time you acted like this…" Blossom began, but Buttercup stood up, and put hand over Blossom's mouth.

"We'll talk later." Buttercup said, before grabbing her bag and running back home.

"Hey, what about the picnic?" Cody asked.

"You guys continue without me! I need to check my wardrobe for something!" Buttercup shouted.

"Did she just say she needed to _'check her wardrobe'_?" Bridgette said, really confused.

"I think I've seen this before…" Bubbles said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Bridgette asked.

"Buttercup has a thing for muscular guys," Blossom explained. "And Ricardo is just that: muscular."

"Wait… You mean…" Bridgette asked, but she stopped mid-way.

A beep came from Blossom's watch and then she said, "Sorry to cut this short; mom wants me back home so Ricardo can visit with us at our house."

"Okay…" Bridgette said. _'I'm not sure about this… I think I know where this is going… And if I'm right, this won't end well…'_

"What was that about?" Cody asked.

"I think I know…" Bridgette said, but her tone said that she did not like what it was.

* * *

Later that afternoon, at Blossom's house, Ricardo was visiting with her family; he was playing with Kasey in the living room and mock wrestling with her. Blossom's mother was cooking dinner, Blossom's father was setting the table, and Blossom was using some of Bridgette's leftover baking for dessert.

"Oh, Ricardo, that was fun!" Kasey said, as she came in and helped set the table, with Ricardo standing next to Blossom.

Ricardo then pulled Blossom aside, and then he asked her, "So, tell me about Buttercup?"

"Huh?" Blossom asked. _'Weird, she asked about you today…'_

"Tell me more about her?" Ricardo clarified.

"Oh, yes," Blossom said. "She's a tomboy, that much you know already, but she loves sports, hates skirts, etc.…."

"Buttercup… wouldn't happen to like wrestling, would she?" Ricardo asked.

"Oh, she's a _big_ fan, why?" Blossom asked.

Ricardo took two tickets out of his pocket, and he said, while a slight pink tint in his face, "I have two tickets to an upcoming wrestling match. Panda Face McGraff goes up against The Masked Wonder; I was hoping she would like to go."

"Oh, she would definitely love that!" Blossom said.

Meanwhile, Buttercup had gone to her bedroom at her house; she had the door open a crack.

Buttercup had her hat off while rummaging though her closet.

"No… No… No!" Buttercup said, as she tossed pair of shorts after pair of shorts and t-shirts out of her closet door and onto the floor behind her.

Her older brother, Dave, was walking by Buttercup's bedroom, and he caught notice of her behavior.

"Buttercup, what are you doing?" Dave asked; he opened the door a little bit, and watched his sister throw clothes everywhere.

"Oh, come on! There _has_ to be a skirt somewhere in this thing!" Buttercup complained, ruffling her hair.

"_**DID YOU JUST SAY 'SKIRT'?!"**_ Dave shouted, shocked at what his sister had just said.

Buttercup sweat dropped at hearing this, and then she turned around to her older brother, before asking, "D-Dave… How long have you been standing there?"

Dave did not answer; instead, he just tackled his sister, put her into her bed, pulled the cover over her, got a thermometer out and put it in her mouth, put an ice pack on her head, and started to check her forehead.

"Dave? What are you doing?!" Buttercup shouted.

"Buttercup, you must _really_ have a bad fever if you're beginning to think about wearing skirts!" Dave said, as he scrambled for medication.

Buttercup merely shot out of bed, took off all of the stuff Dave had given her and then she shouted, "_I'm fine, nimrod!_"

Dave stopped as he saw his sister out of bed.

"Those girlfriends of yours must really be having an influence on you if you're thinking about wearing skirts." Dave said, crossing his arms.

"I'm not sick! Well… Not traditionally sick…" Buttercup said, going red in the face. "I'm… _lovesick!_"

"_WHAT?!_" Dave shouted.

Buttercup then had hearts in her eyes again, and then she dreamily told her brother, "His name is Ricardo… He's Blossom's cousin! Ricardo is so muscular! Sigh…"

Buttercup was about to faint again when Dave caught her, and asked, "Are you _sure_ you're feeling okay?! You're not acting like yourself!"

"I'm fine… But… I think rather than consulting my own closet for the right clothes to get Ricardo's attention, I think I know just who to call!" Buttercup said, as she pushed Dave out the door. "Now leave me alone! I need to call a friend!"

Dave sweat dropped, and then he shouted, "_MOM! DAD! SAM! BUTTERCUP'S IN LOVE!_"

He then ran down the stairs; Buttercup just blushed as she called Bubbles on the phone.

"Okay… I need to come over there… Yes, for clothes! … You're kidding, right? You know I was over there last time this sort of thing happened to me! … Yes, I know that this is out of character for me! … Thank you; I'll be over there ASAP!"

Buttercup ran out the door of her bedroom, grabbed her skateboard, and then she shouted, "Mom, Dad, I'm going over to Bubbles' house!"

She then left the house, leaving her parents confused; Dave began explaining everything.

"_EH?!_" Buttercup's parents shouted.

"That's right…" Dave said, sweat dropping.

"Remember what happened last time?" Buttercup's mother asked.

"Yes, I do…" Buttercup's dad said.

* * *

The next day, Bubbles, Blossom, and Bridgette were walking to school; Cody took a different route due to the location of his house.

"I wonder where Buttercup is," Bridgette said. "She's been acting out of the ordinary since yesterday."

"She was over at my house yesterday," Bubbles said. "Said she needed some help."

"Help with what?" Bridgette said.

"Hey, girls!" Buttercup said, from behind the girls, and then Blossom, Bubbles, and Bridgette turned around.

They saw Buttercup wearing a green blouse with a yellow boat neckline; she was wearing denim shorts with green jewels in them, wearing her power belt, and her shoes were her usual sneakers. However, she was wearing sporty, green bracelets.

Blossom and Bridgette were shocked to see this, and Bubbles was not really surprised at all.

"Buttercup, you look good." Bubbles said.

"Thanks to you, Bubbles," Buttercup said. "Let's see how a certain someone is going to react to this!"

"Yo, Blossom!" Ricardo said, as he approached the girls.

Buttercup's eyes became hearts as she saw Ricardo coming towards them.

"Hey, Ricardo." Blossom said.

Ricardo then rubbed Blossom's head before clearing his throat; he looked at Buttercup, and blushed, seeing how well dressed Buttercup was.

"You look good in that." Ricardo said, while his face was tinted red.

"Th-th-th-thank you!" Buttercup said, as her face went completely red. "I normally don't wear this sort of thing!"

"That's okay," Ricardo said. "I like tomboys."

'_He likes tomboys… Oh, so that relieves me of the task of finding a skirt to wear, at least!' _Buttercup thought, relieved at this information.

"So… Buttercup…" Ricardo said, as he took out the two tickets. "I got tickets to a wrestling match; Blossom told me you liked that sort of thing."

"I do, I do!" Buttercup said, hearts in her eyes as she talked with Ricardo.

"It's The Masked Wonder going up against Panda Face McGraff again," Ricardo said. "Would you like to go with me?"

Buttercup's face exploded with steam, while she was red, and then she took one of the tickets while saying, "Yes! I _love_ The Masked Wonder!"

"So do I!" Ricardo said. "I'll see you Saturday."

Ricardo then winked before leaving the girls alone; Buttercup fainted in Bubbles arms again, and hearts emanated from her head while her face was beet red.

"Buttercup, what's gotten into you?!" Bridgette said, waving a hand over Buttercup's face while trying to cool her off.

"I… I've fallen in love!" Buttercup said.

"_**SAY WHAT?!"**_ Bridgette shouted, not expecting this.

"I thought so…" Blossom said.

"Should have known…" Bubbles said.

"You two knew this already?!" Bridgette said, surprised.

"We had a hunch," Blossom said. "Buttercup once fell in love with an older student, Danny Wilson, but after Buttercup was inspired through her father's male pride and passion, Buttercup got over Danny because he was a coward and had muscles on the brain."

"So it didn't end well? Typical…" Bridgette said, crossing her arms, a vein throbbing, and clearly annoyed as a whole. She was _not_ happy to hear any of this information.

"Typical?" Bubbles asked. "What do you mean by 'typical', Bridgette?"

"This happens all the time," Bridgette said. "A boy shows interest in a girl, but then he breaks her heart in betrayal. There's _never_ a happy ending."

"You never showed that attitude with Cody." Bubbles pointed out.

"Cody's the only exception to the rule because you've known him for a long time; know a person long enough and you can trust them, while they can trust you. And sure, Ricardo's Blossom's _cousin_, but he's a complete stranger to _the rest of us_! How do we know he doesn't have ulterior motives?" Bridgette said, explaining.

"Because I know my cousin really well!" Blossom said. "Why shouldn't we trust him?"

"He's your _cousin_, not your _brother_, Blossom. You probably don't know him as well as you think you do." Bridgette said.

"Hey, what do you mean?!" Blossom said.

"We know this really well, but everyone has a secret or two." Bridgette said.

"But Buttercup technically broke _Danny's_ heart; Danny didn't break _hers_." Bubbles said.

"Whatever; heartbreak is heartbreak. Does it matter whose heart it is?" Bridgette inquired.

She then walked to class, really upset with the situation.

"What's with her? She never acted like this when Cody and I hooked up." Bubbles said.

"I don't know, but it sounds like she's experienced it herself." Blossom said.

"Buttercup, wake up! We have to get to the classroom!" Bubbles said, patting Buttercup on the head.

Buttercup snapped out of her daze; the girls then ran to the classroom, but meanwhile, Bridgette, who was already there, was all grouchy about learning Buttercup was in love.

'_What is it with those three? Okay, yes, they're right about Cody, but this is a total stranger we're talking about here! True, Ricardo is Blossom's cousin, but what's a familiar face to one person can be a complete stranger to others. You can't just fall in love with someone you just met, or you'll just end up with MORE than a broken heart!' _Bridgette thought, clearly not happy about Buttercup falling in love.

The others came into the classroom and sat at their desks, ready for another day in school. However, in the back of their minds, they were prepared for another monster alert.

Buttercup, on the other hand, was still daydreaming about Ricardo. He was all she could think about, and the following Saturday was giving Buttercup a reason not to pay attention in class.

Bridgette then silently shook Buttercup from behind, and she hissed, "Buttercup, _get over your infatuation, _or your heart won't be the only thing broken!"

Buttercup did not respond; she merely babbled, "Oh, Ricardo…"

Bridgette quietly groaned while muttering, "I'm just beating a dead horse aren't I?"

Just as the girls were thinking that the day was going to go off without a hitch, they were proven wrong in a really big way: their belts started going off.

"Oh, man…" Blossom said. "At least we're on break period."

The girls then bolted out of the classroom, and headed up to their usual in-school transformation spot: the roof.

"Ready to do this?" Blossom said.

"Right!" Bridgette said, speaking for the other three girls.

Buttercup was still in a daze about Ricardo.

"I tried snapping her out of it, but I got nothing." Bridgette said, with a sigh.

"Anyway, let's get to it." Bubbles said, interrupting.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

"Okay, let's see what's going on this time." Blossom said, as she opened up her compact; once again, Mojo and one of his robots were wrecking the city.

"Not that verminous monkey again!" Bridgette complained.

"I think the word "verminous" is a bit harsh…" Bubbles said, sweat dropping.

"Why should it be harsh? He's an animal, and he's obnoxious to us and other humans, especially. And the definition for the word "vermin" is an animal that is obnoxious to humans in ways that are either destructive or unhealthy. In the baking industry, vermin include rodents, roaches, ants, flies, and mosquitos, amongst others. In this case, the _vermin_ in question is Mojo, a monkey, and the annoyance he causes is the futile and destructive attempts to take over the world. It takes more than one monkey and a stupid robot to take over the world; it takes tactical, political, and military thinking." Bridgette explained, with a shrug; she really did not care about using 'vermin' as a derogatory term – the way she saw it, it fit the situation perfectly.

"Makes sense…" Buttercup said, finally focused.

"_FINALLY_, you're out of your insidious, love-struck daze! Let's hurry and play exterminator already!" Bridgette said, slightly angry at Buttercup.

The girls then took off into the sky to go and save the day, as usual.

As usual, the girls cornered Mojo in the middle of the city and then they landed on a nearby rooftop.

"_The city's not a playground for a monkey to damage! Because you forgot about us, Mojo: The PowerPuff Girls!" _The quartet shouted, while making a group pose.

"Look, Mojo, do us a favor and stop being _vermin_! _**PERMANENTLY!**_" Bridgette said, as she flew up to the cockpit window of the robot and showed off her sword. "You're just like a rodent in a restaurant – a complete pest!"

"We'll see how you feel once I take over the world!" Mojo retorted.

"You're not Julius Caesar, " Bridgette said, moving her blade closer to Mojo. "You're _intellectually incapable_ of such things."

"Bridgette, I think that's enough." Blossom said, as she flew in front of Bridgette.

Mojo did not seem to listen, and then he whacked Bridgette and Blossom away with a mechanical arm. They landed in a building, but while they were a little dizzy, they were okay.

"Blossom! Bridgette!" Bubbles said.

Buttercup lost focus as her mind drifted off to Ricardo once again.

"We're okay," Bridgette said, as she regained control of her flight, as did Blossom. "Now let's teach this monkey who belongs and who doesn't!"

Blossom used her yo-yo and smashed the window of the cockpit to get access to Mojo. However, he still had control of the robot.

"Bubbles, you're up!" Blossom said.

"_Bursting Bubbles!"_ Bubbles shouted, as she shot bubbles in Mojo's direction, but he ducked in time to dodge the bubbles.

Buttercup was still daydreaming about Ricardo; she muttered, "Oh, Ricardo…"

"It looks like your green friend is a little too focused on something else!" Mojo said, smiling, and then he used his mechanical arm to hit Buttercup away, and then she landed on the ground.

Buttercup managed to get out of the crater she made and then she smiled, before her face went red and hearts started emanating from her head.

"Buttercup, are you okay?" Bridgette said, as she went and helped Buttercup up.

"Ricardo… Oh, yes, thank you…" Buttercup said. "Bubbles helped me pick this out…"

"You're daydreaming about your futile crush at a time like _THIS?!_" Bridgette shouted, _NOT_ happy about Buttercup's state of mind. "That's as helpful as leeches on a dead person!"

Buttercup managed to get focused again and then she took up her hammer and was about to attack Mojo once again, but Mojo retaliated by smacking her again with the hammer; Buttercup saw Ricardo in Mojo's place, which was not helping.

"Buttercup!" Blossom said, as Buttercup was thrown into a wall.

The girls then approached Buttercup as she managed to get up from the fall.

"Buttercup, are you okay?" Blossom asked.

Hearts were just dancing around Buttercup's head, leaving the other girls confused.

"Buttercup, if you're going to be _this_ distracted about someone who is ultimately going to hurt you, then just go back to the school!" Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean by that?" Bubbles asked.

"You two wouldn't know! Now let's exterminate this monkey!" Bridgette said, as she, Bubbles, and Blossom flew at Mojo and started beating him up.

"_Steel Slice!"_ Bridgette shouted, delivering the final blow, and sending Mojo blasting off. "That's as cliché at Team Rocket's constant blast-offs in almost every Pokémon episode."

The girls, having wrapped things up, headed back to the school to focus.

* * *

Walking in the hallways, Bridgette was going to her locker, when she spotted Ricardo; glaring at him, she approached, and then she tapped Ricardo on the shoulder.

Turning to her, Ricardo ignored her angry face, and then he asked, "Oh, hey; you're one of Blossom's friends, aren't you? You're Bridgette, right? The girl who made those great cookies?"

"Yes, that's me," Bridgette said, but then grabbed Ricardo by his shirt collar. "Listen up! You do _anything_ to hurt Buttercup in any way, shape, or form, and you'll have to answer to me! And anyone who messes with Buttercup messes with _ME_, is that clear?"

"Calm down, Bridge," Ricardo said, as he got her hands off of his shirt collar. "I have no intention of hurting Buttercup at all. I really like her; besides, you should trust me. Blossom's my cousin; I really _should_ be answering to _her, _anyway."

"Touché," Bridgette said. "But I don't trust you. The evidence will be Buttercup's behavior on Monday."

Bridgette then walked away, and Ricardo was merely confused, before asking aloud, "What's _her_ problem?"

Bridgette made it to class before sighing in relief and sitting at her desk.

"I can't wait for Saturday!" Buttercup said, talking to Bubbles. "I know he likes tomboys, but Bubbles, can I come over to your house later to pick an outfit?"

"Sure!" Bubbles said. "Hey Blossom, Bridgette, want to come over to help Buttercup pick an outfit?"

"Sure thing!" Blossom said.

"I've never been to your house before, Bubbles," Bridgette said. "But, Buttercup, I really think this date on Saturday is a bad idea. You'll get hurt; trust me."

"How would I get hurt?" Buttercup said.

"_Ricardo_, that's how," Bridgette said. "I don't trust him, and I've told him that to his face."

"You did _what_?!" Blossom said. "What were you thinking?!"

"About keeping Buttercup safe and happy, that's what!" Bridgette said, as she stood up, angry. "Go ahead and risk your safety, Buttercup, but don't say I didn't warn you when you come back on Monday all beaten up and broken-hearted!"

"What's with you, Bridgette?" Bubbles asked. "Why are you acting like this? Are you just concerned about Buttercup, or is there something more?"

"What do _you_ know? Everything's coming up roses for you and Cody!" Bridgette said, as she slumped down in her chair and gave an angry huff.

The girls merely looked at each other in confusion before the day ended.

* * *

Later that night, Buttercup was back at her house, in her bedroom, trying on the outfit that Bubbles had picked out; lucky for Buttercup, it was something that fit her tomboy nature.

Her older brother came into the bedroom, and he asked, "Buttercup, are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?" Buttercup asked Dave.

"This is only the second time you've been on a date, and you're flipping your script in a big way this time. Are you sure this Ricardo is worth it?" Dave asked.

"He likes tomboys," Buttercup said. "I should be fine."

"NOT what I meant…" Dave said. "But you're going with him to see Dad's match on Saturday, right? Did you tell him about our dad being The Masked Wonder?"

"No, but dad _is_ his favorite wrestler," Buttercup said. "So what's the point?"

"I'm worried that this whole romance will go in the tank should he find out. I'm always worried about him hurting you. Not all romances are happy, Buttercup. There are relationships out there that are not exactly the best; I don't want that happening to you." Dave explained.

Buttercup remembered all of what Bridgette had said during the past few days.

"_About keeping Buttercup safe and happy, that's what!" Bridgette said, as she stood up, angry. "Go ahead and risk your safety, Buttercup, but don't say I didn't warn you when you come back on Monday all beaten up and broken-hearted!"_

"_This happens all the time," Bridgette said. "A boy shows interest in a girl, but then he breaks her heart in betrayal. There's __never__ a happy ending."_

"_How do we know he doesn't have ulterior motives?" Bridgette said, explaining._

'_So THAT'S what Bridgette is so worried about…' _Buttercup thought.

"I know I'm probably being over-analytical, but try to enjoy yourself, nonetheless." Dave said.

"Thanks, bro." Buttercup said, as Dave left with a nod.

The following afternoon, which was Saturday, Buttercup was outside her house door, looking around for Ricardo; Blossom had told him her address so they could meet up.

She was wearing a green blouse with denim jean-shorts. She also had her usual belt on, but was wearing some other accessories. Buttercup had her hair in its usual style, minus the hat, and she was wearing earrings she borrowed from her mother. Her shoes were her normal sneakers. Buttercup was looking left and right for Ricardo.

"Hey, Buttercup!" Ricardo said, as he approached, wearing a shirt that had the Masked Wonder on it. He also was wearing gym pants and sneakers.

Seeing his silver eyes again, Buttercup just went red in the face with hearts emanating from her head.

"Ricardo!" Buttercup said, hearts in her eyes.

"So, ready to go?" Ricardo said, as he gave Buttercup his arm, gesturing that he wanted to lock arms with him.

"Um, yes!" Buttercup said, as she locked arms with Ricardo. _'I never thought I'd be the kind of girl to go nuts over this…'_

The two of them started walking to the arena, arm-in-arm, and Buttercup was in pure heaven.

"I'm excited to see the Masked Wonder in action! Aren't you?" Ricardo said, making conversation.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see da – er, I mean, the Masked Wonder beat someone up! I'm just glad we got out of the neighborhood before my brothers saw us." Buttercup said, but she caught her slip-up, and changing the subject.

"Blossom mentioned you had brothers. One older and one younger," Ricardo said. "I can see why you're a tomboy, growing up in a male-dominant house."

"Oh, you do?" Buttercup said. _'Oh, this is perfection…'_

They soon made it to the arena and were in front-row seats to the match; things were getting under way.

"Hey, Buttercup," The Masked Wonder said, as he approached the ring and saw his daughter in the front-row seat. "This must be the boy your big brother told us about? Ricardo, right?"

"Yes, sir!" Ricardo said, thrilled to be talking to his favorite wrestler.

"S-Sir, please try not to intimidate him!" Buttercup said. "I don't want him freaking out; he's a big fan of yours."

"Nice to see two supporters here for me!" The Masked Wonder said, as he then leaped into the ring.

'_Man, that was close…' _Buttercup thought.

"How do you know the Masked Wonder personally, Buttercup? This just made my day!" Ricardo said.

"Um… He…" Buttercup said, stammering.

"You're embarrassed, huh? I'll let it alone," Ricardo said. "Besides, the way he acts around you, it's almost as if he's your dad, right?"

'_You have NO idea.' _Buttercup thought.

Seeing Buttercup's father wrestle greatly, both Ricardo and Buttercup were having a great time.

"Nice one! Go Wonder!" Ricardo shouted, cheering.

"You can do it! Go get him, Dad!" Buttercup said, but then she covered her mouth, slipping up.

"Dad? Did you just call him 'Dad'?" Ricardo asked, surprised.

"Um… Uh…" Buttercup stammered, before shuddering. She thought, _'Oh, crap, I'm busted!'_

"…It's true. The Masked Wonder is my dad…" Buttercup said, as she bowed her head in shame.

"What's wrong with that? Sure, I can understand why you wouldn't want to brag to me to get a date, but you're loyal to your father, and you wanted me to see you as who you are. That alone shows me you've got strength of character." Ricardo said, as he hugged Buttercup.

Buttercup then blushed red as she relaxed in Ricardo's arms. She hugged him back, thinking, _'I… I was worried about nothing…'_

"Hey, don't make me come over there!" The Masked Wonder said, and then both Buttercup and Ricardo separated; the two were blushing at each other.

After the match, Ricardo walked Buttercup home; they were holding hands, and Buttercup was feeling the love in a big way. Once they got to her doorstep, Ricardo then asked Buttercup, "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, I did!" Buttercup said. "I was so happy for Dad!"

"I know what you mean," Ricardo said. "I'll see you Monday?"

Buttercup nodded. Ricardo was about to turn around and leave, but then he remembered something; he said, "Oh, almost forgot."

"What?" Buttercup asked.

"I apologize in advance if you don't like this." Ricardo said, and then he kissed Buttercup on the cheek.

Buttercup went red and then she fainted as Ricardo then left while saying, "Night, Buttercup!"

"Night…" Buttercup said, before walking into her house, still holding her cheek, and in a love-struck daze.

On Monday, Buttercup walked into the classroom, still holding on to her kissed cheek, and still feeling really dazed.

Noticing the way her hand was on her cheek, Bridgette jumped up, and asked, "What happened?! Did he punch you?! What did he do?!"

"Whoa, Bridgette, calm down!" Blossom asked. "This is my cousin we're talking about!"

"He kissed me on the cheek…" Buttercup said. "I think it's safe to say that we're official…"

"Oh, Buttercup, that's great!" Bubbles said, as she and Blossom were smiling.

Bridgette then sighed in defeat, before looking out the window, and thinking, _'Looks like I'm just going to have to suck it up and accept it…'_

* * *

**That's a wrap! Now, for those of you who have picked up on it, Bridgette isn't really keen on romance. The only reason she trusts Cody is because the girls have known him for a long time and can vouch for him.**

**And yes, Buttercup was **_**COMPLETELY OOC**_**, but that was _on purpose_! Sheesh…**

**Next time…**

**Bridgette: Princess tries bribing me into worshipping her by giving me a "top-quality" GOLDEN baking pan, and a baking pan made of silicon, too! Does this girl know **_**ANYTHING**_** about the baking industry?! There's **_**NO WAY**_** I'm taking this!**

**Princess: You'll pay for this! No one's been dumb enough to reject my kindness!**

**Bridgette: Is your definition of "kindness" really "bribery", Princess? You **_**really**_** need to brush up on your vocab…**

**Princess: Why you…!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Bridgette discovers Princess's monster form when she ticks the rich girl off! Bridgette **_**knows**_** what she wants for her bakery and price is not the issue that ticks Princess off: it's material! Bridgette rejects one of Princess's presents, but it backfires when Princess transforms and starts giving the town grief… Again.**

* * *

_The Princess And The PowerPuff!_

It was Sunday, and Bridgette was baking in her house kitchen, while her father was upstairs, working on a case.

"This is going to be great," Bridgette said, as she was working on buttercream frosting for a cake she was making. "Now the fat's all creamed… Time for the sugar."

She added around two pounds – by weight – of powdered sugar to the mix, and slowly pulsed it into the fat before turning up the speed when it was not going to spill everywhere.

The cake itself had already been base-coated and was in the fridge while she had several piping bags, tips, food dyes, and sprinkles out for decoration.

"Now just to wait a little while for the cake to be fully sealed and chilled, then add the main coat." Bridgette said, as she was ready to start dying the frostings.

"Red… Pink… Blue… Green… Nice!" Bridgette said, as she dyed the colors as she narrated her method. She had four bowls of frostings and she had them all in different colors.

"This is going to be perfect! This cake to celebrate our one-month anniversary of my recruitment to the team is going to get rave reviews! I just know it!" Bridgette said, as she started to draw out a design for what she wanted to decorate the cake with.

"Okay… Red roses… pink daisies… Aha, blue shell piping! Green stems are a must… Leaves, too. Blue pink flowers, as well. A few borders, some sprinkles… And perfect!" Bridgette said, smiling.

Taking out the cake from the refrigerator and started to give the cake its main coat of white frosting. She felt excited to see what else she could do with the cake. It was pure white; a blank canvas of a cake, which meant she was free to do what she wished with it, decorating-wise.

"Now to let the main coat firm up." Bridgette said, as she put the cake back in the refrigerator and she started to clean up.

However, the doorbell interrupted her; Bridgette stopped washing her dishes, and as she looked up, she asked aloud, "Who could that be? If it's one of the girls, they could have just used the compacts… What's going on?"

She then put down the bowl and the beater that she was washing.

Bridgette took off her apron, and went to the front door. She opened it, and then it was revealed that Princess Morbucks, and several of her maids had decided to pay Bridgette a visit.

"Princess…" Bridgette said, trying to do a social fake; she was not exactly happy to see Princess. "What can I do for you? Is there another party you want me to cater for you?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that!" Princess said.

Bridgette breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, _'That was close…'_

"I actually have something for you!" Princess said.

"A gift? For me?" Bridgette asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. The girls had told her that Princess only pulled this sort of thing when she wanted more attention.

Princess presented to Bridgette a giant baking pan that was made of solid gold.

"Is that made of _pure gold_?" Bridgette said; she was not so much impressed as she was appalled that someone would want to bake with solid gold.

"Yes! And I also have this!" Princess said, as she presented a giant baking pan made of silicon.

Both pans were around five feet by three feet or larger, and Bridgette was shocked to see such big pans.

"You want me to have all of this, Princess?" Bridgette asked, both surprised and suspicious.

"All you need to do to make these little trinkets yours, is to make me feel like a princess on Monday in the beginning of school!" Princess said, before putting a hand to her chest.

"You're trying to bribe me?" Bridgette asked, clarifying the situation.

"Is that what it's called?" Princess asked, playing dumb.

Bridgette sweat dropped before saying, "Let me take a better look at those."

"Sure thing!" Princess said, confident Bridgette would take the pans.

Bridgette then looked at the pans; she gently knocked on the gold pan, and Princess was right: it was pure gold. Bridgette then made a hum noise, as if she was examining the pans, and she did not like what she was seeing.

Looking at the silicon, Bridgette did some closer examination on both of the pans. Bridgette then sighed in annoyance as she finished her examination of the pans.

"So, what do you think?" Princess said.

"*Sigh* You're an idiot, Princess." Bridgette said, simply.

This hit Princess in the head like a ton of bricks; she then asked, "Wh-What are you talking about?!"

"What baker with half a mind would bake a cake using a pan made of _pure, solid gold_?" Bridgette asked, gesturing to the gold pan. "Sure, it's good at conducting heat, but it's both durable _and_ ductile; it can get easily flattened just by falling on the ground. Besides, the kinds of foods I bake with can ruin it! Sheesh…"

"Uh…" Princess said, about to say something, but Bridgette put a hand up.

"As for the silicon, yes, it's heat-resistant, but my experience in using silicon pans is that it's only good for molding candy, not baking. Besides, _'non-stick'_, my foot! It never works like that! Not to mention the fact that _THERE'S NOWHERE IN THE HOUSE I CAN STORE EITHER OF THESE!_" Bridgette said, clearly not happy.

"So, I'll get you smaller ones." Princess said simply.

"I _don't_ want them," Bridgette said. "If it's impractical and dysfunctional, then it's not worth it. Just because something is expensive doesn't make it good quality, and just because something might be inexpensive doesn't mean it's going to be poor quality, either. You clearly have _no knowledge base_ of this industry."

Princess grew angry, and with a vein throbbing in her head, Princess said, "I can't believe that you just insulted my kindness!"

"Look, there's a difference between kindness and bribery, Princess," Bridgette told her, as she walked into the house once again. "You want me to treat you like a goddess in exchange for baking supplies that I can't use? That's not going to happen any time soon. I suggest _learning_ the difference between bribery and kindness before pulling this stunt again."

Bridgette shut the door before going back to the kitchen.

"I don't believe this…" Bridgette said, as she put her apron back on, and went back to doing her dishes. "She thinks she can get whatever she wants just by bribing people? That's not how you get friends, or love, or anything like that! She really doesn't know what friendship is."

Back outside, Princess was standing in front of the door, in complete shock. The fact that she was turned down made Princess angry enough; being called 'an idiot' was _much_ worse. Princess was also angry that Bridgette said that she did not know what the differences between bribery and kindness were. This angered Princess to a really big degree.

"She thinks she can get more attention by being the smarty-pants, can she?! Bridgette will rue the day she did this to me when she sees how popular I become on Monday!" Princess said, before walking away from Bridgette's house, and moving on.

* * *

Bridgette, meanwhile, was finishing up the dishes; she put the dry ones away, and she looked around to see what else she could do while the cake was still chilling. She knew the main coat was going to have to set for a while.

"Let's see…" Bridgette said, looking around the kitchen.

Her eyes fell onto a recipe for hamantaschen cookies; she smiled before saying, "Chocolate-filled Hamantaschen? That's perfect! Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

Bridgette got out unsalted butter, a few eggs, some all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

She also got out milk and chocolate chips.

"Let's make some Hamantaschen!" Bridgette said, as she started beating the butter and the sugar.

Bridgette kept making the Hamantachen while she was unaware that she was about to trigger another monster attack.

Once Bridgette finished the triangle-shaped cookies with chocolate filling, she sprinkled silver sugar crystals on the cookies. Bridgette then boxed them up, before adding a ribbon to the box.

"Perfect!" Bridgette said, and a timer sound went off. "Oh, the cake is done chilling! Time to get started."

Taking out the cake, Bridgette started piping blue-pink daisies onto the cake. She also piped red roses on the top of the cake; stems of green frosting were winding up and down the cake. Bridgette also managed to use some modeling chocolate to make modeling chocolate flowers and leaves to decorate the cake with. The inscription she added on top of the cake said, "Happy One-Month Anniversary!"

"This is perfect!" Bridgette said, as she took a picture. "The girls are going to love this!"

"Bridgette, are you done down there?" Melvin asked, as he came downstairs, in his suit, and with his briefcase in hand.

"Oh, hey dad," Bridgette said, with a smile. "I just finished decorating the cake for the anniversary party we're having at the lab tomorrow. I even made some Hamantaschen, too."

"Hamantaschen, huh?" Melvin asked, as he tried to open the box to snag one.

Bridgette slapped his hand and said, "Mitts off, dad! I'll set a few aside for you for later."

"Just like a nagging mother, huh?" Melvin said, with a chuckle.

* * *

The next day, Bridgette and the others were at the school, in their classroom, talking about their party that afternoon.

"I can't believe it's been a month since I've joined the team," Bridgette said. "I'm happy to celebrate."

"Any excuse to eat your cake is always a reason to celebrate!" Blossom said.

The girls merely laughed, as did Cody, and then there was a large commotion outside the window.

The girls and Cody ran to the window and they saw a red carpet being rolled out, and Princess was walking down the carpet, as if she were a celebrity.

"Did Princess try getting her maids to bribe the city again?" Buttercup said.

"She did," Bridgette said, crossing her arms. "She tried pulling that trick on me; I turned her down."

"You turned down a present from Princess?" Bubbles asked.

"It was two dysfunctional pieces of bake wear. It wouldn't have worked in this industry; the pans were too big, not to mention the fact that the materials were not right."

"How does the material of a pan affect the baking?" Buttercup asked.

"The heat conductivity of the material affects the baking by either overdoing it or underdoing it," Bridgette said, simply. "The baked good in question could come out dry and hard or soft and mushy, or something in between, depending on what kind of material is used in the oven."

"Anyway, that was a bad move, Bridgette," Blossom said. "Princess doesn't take kindly to being put in her place or getting ignored."

"So what? _I_ don't take kindly to people who try tempting me with a useless piece of equipment for attention." Bridgette said.

"Can we change the subject before one of us gets guilty?" Bubbles inquired.

"Good idea," Bridgette said, and then she took out the hamentaschen. "I made hamentaschen yesterday."

"Ha… Ham…" Buttercup said, trying to pronounce the name. "What are they called?"

"Hamentaschen," Bridgette said, slowly. "These are cookies that are baked and eaten during Purim; the ones I made are filled with chocolate. Want one?"

"Yay!" Blossom said, as she grabbed a cookie and started to eat it. "These are great cookies!"

"Thanks," Bridgette said, with a laugh. "Eat up!"

The girls each took a Hamentaschen, but out of nowhere, Princess snagged one and started eating it.

"Hey! These hamentaschen are for me and my friends only!" Bridgette said, as she took the box away.

"And what's wrong with me wanting one?" Princess said.

"Nothing, but you should have asked for it! Just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn't mean you can go around thinking everything is automatically yours!" Bridgette said, scolding Princess.

"Don't care," Princess said, as she kept eating. "By the way, good cookies."

"Um, thank you…" Bridgette said, albeit the back of her mind was telling her that Princess was not done.

Princess took the rest of the cookies before telling Bridgette, "These would be even better if you used gold."

"If you mean gold leaving to top my cookies, you're barking up the wrong tree; gold leaf is flavorless." Bridgette said, crossing her arms.

Bridgette knew that Princess was still angry about not taking the pans from the day before, but Bridgette knew how to handle it.

"Not what I meant, but also a good idea!" Princess said, before giving a haughty laugh and leaving.

"You can't just take those!" Bridgette said, as she stepped forward. "I made those for my friends! They were never meant for you!"

"I can always get what I want!" Princess said, as she once again gave a haughty laugh.

Bridgette had had enough; her fist was balled, her head had a vein throbbing, and then Bridgette finally shouted, _**"YOU'RE SUCH A SPOILED, LITTLE BRAT! YOU'LL NEVER BE AS POPULAR AS THE POWERPUFF GIRLS Z WITH THAT BEHAVIOR!"**_

The other girls gasped in shock of what Bridgette had just said.

"What… Did… you just say?" Princess said, as she turned around slowly, as if nervous.

"You heard me: _you'll never be as popular as the PowerPuff Girls Z with that behavior_! Time for the truth to sink in, Princess!" Bridgette said, pointing a finger at Princess.

"Bridgette, I think that was going too far…" Bubbles said.

"I couldn't care less! The reason why the PowerPuff Girls Z are so popular is because they do great thing for the whole city, unlike you, who is just soliciting attention with your money! The girls never _ask_ for this attention, nor do they ever _want_ it! They get the attention because they _deserve it!_ You, on the other hand, are just some rich person's brat who doesn't know what _real_ friendship is! And with the way you act, you never will, either!" Bridgette said, as she took back her cookie box. "You wouldn't even give anyone the shirt of your back if they needed it!"

Princess stood in shock as she watched Bridgette walk away.

"Bridgette, I think you overdid it…" Blossom said, as Bridgette went back over to her friends.

"All I did was tell things like they are; why hasn't anyone else done that?" Bridgette said, as she ate another cookie.

None of the girls answered.

"Anyway, forget about Princess," Bridgette said. "Let's eat."

The girls began eating more of the hamentaschen along with their lunch, but they were being careful to save room so that way they could have enough food at the party.

"If the hamentaschen are this good, then I'll bet Bridgette's cake is going to be the bomb!" Buttercup said, as she munched on one of the cookies.

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "But let's just hope we don't have any monster attacks during the party."

* * *

After the school day ended, Princess was driven back home; while in the car, Princess was grumbling.

"I don't believe it! That Bridgette told me off! That _new girl_ told _ME_ off!" Princess grumbled, angry. "She turned away my presents, called me an idiot, and a brat, but worst of all, she said I'll _never_ become as popular as the PowerPuff Girls! The nerve of that girl…!"

Once she got back to her mansion, she ran to her bedroom, angry, and her cat, Sapphire, was there for comfort.

"I can't stand it!" Princess said, as she sat on the bed. "How can that girl have the arrogance and gall to talk to me like that?! No one talks to Princess Morbucks like that! _**NO ONE!**_"

Princess stood up and she went to her vanity before shouting, "She thinks I'm a brat, huh?! Thinks The PowerPuff Girls _deserve_ all of the attention?! Thinks I'm spoiled?!"

Sapphire came up on the vanity and curled up against Princess.

"Bridgette thinks that I'm undeserving of her cookies, doesn't she?! Well, that little pain in the neck is going to get what's coming to her!" Princess shouted, before slamming her hand on Sapphire's tail.

Sapphire screamed, and soon, the transformation was triggered. Princess's eyes started to spin as she stood still for a second. With an evil smile, her eyes opened, flashing yellow. She kicked up her legs, and her stockings turned from white to black while purple stars flashed. After a few haughty poses, Princess stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes yellow, and her hair red, and all puffed up in an afro, but she was still wearing her usual clothes and crown.

"Hahahaha! Now for my wrath! If I can get cookies on my own, I'll just take them by force!" Princess shouted, before flying out the window of her bedroom. Sapphire was still screaming in pain.

Back at the lab, the girls, and Cody, were eating cake, and having a really good time at their little party. The cake was going over really well with the group.

"This is delicious," Cody said. "It's like this came out of a professional bakery!"

"Thanks, but I think you're exaggerating a little bit." Bridgette said, as she ate a piece.

The cake itself was chocolate; Bridgette had brought some more hamentaschen, also chocolate.

"This is great, Bridgette!" Bubbles said. "It's only been a month since you've become a member of the PowerPuff Girls."

"Thank you," Bridgette said. "I'm happy to have friends like you!"

The group made a toast in celebration.

"Bridgette, your cakes are the best I've ever tasted," Buttercup said, as she ate a big chunk. "It's great!"

"I'm surprised you haven't been scouted out at a bakers' convention or something." Blossom said, as she ate another hamentaschen.

"I've never been to one…" Bridgette said, sheepishly.

"Girls!" Poochi shouted, as he ran into the room, and approached the five teenagers. "We've got problems!"

"What's the matter, Poochi?" Blossom asked.

"It's Princess! She's transformed!" Poochi said.

"Oh, great! We should have expected this to happen!" Buttercup complained.

"Princess? As in Princess Morbucks?" Bridgette asked, as she scratched her head in confusion.

She did not get an answer, as Poochi then sounded the call: _"PowerPuff Girls, we need you!"_

The girls then raised up their hands, and their rings formed.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

"Be careful out there, Bubbles." Cody said, as he held Bubbles in his arms, in a dance-like position.

"Yes, I will." Bubbles said.

Both Cody and Bubbles then kissed; Blossom and Bridgette were looking at the scene affectionately while Buttercup was not interested in it.

"Let's get her, girls!" Blossom said.

The four girls flew out the skylight of the building, and soon found Princess flying in the air, with her arms filled with hamentaschen.

"That's _Princess Morbucks?!_" Bridgette asked, as she pointed towards Princess.

"Yep!" Blossom said. "Now to get her to calm down and give those cookies back."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! All of the triangular cookies in the city are mine, mine, _mine!_" Princess cackled, as she ate some of the cookies.

"They're not called _'triangular cookies'_! Their proper name is hamentaschen, you spoiled-rotten brat!" Bridgette shouted, as her aura flared up and fire was in her eyes.

"You're kidding me…" Buttercup said. "Someone doesn't give a pastry or cake its due and Bridgette flies off the handle?"

"I guess that's just how passionate she is about this." Bubbles said, simply.

"Let's get her, girls!" Blossom said.

However, Bridgette got in front of Blossom, and she summoned her sheathed swords.

"Leave it to me!" Bridgette said to Blossom, as she drew her swords. "Anyone who doesn't treat cookies with respect is going to get it big time!"

Bridgette charged up pink energy in her swords before firing it at Princess from behind, shouting, _"Steel Slice!"_

The energy hit Princess in the back, causing her to fall, and then the girls caught her in some sort of fabric basket; Bubbles and Buttercup then shouted to the people, "Okay, we got her."

"That was easy." Bridgette said, as the girls began flying back to the lab.

"It's usually this easy whenever Princess is just trying to be an attention hog, but when she fights, watch out." Buttercup said.

Back at the lab, the girls, Cody, Ken, and Poochi watched as the Professor changed Princess back to normal.

"Turning into a monster with an emotional trigger like mine is one thing, but having a cat scream to trigger a transformation that you can never remember happening? That's insane." Cody said, as Bubbles put a hand on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you girls tell me that Princess had a monster form?" Bridgette asked, heatedly.

"We forgot…" Buttercup said.

"How can you forget a detail as important as _that_?!" Bridgette said, face-palming herself.

The girls refused to answer, as they were not sure why they did not tell Bridgette about Princess's evil side.

"Let's get her back to the mansion before her maids find her missing and start worrying." Blossom said.

The girls did just that, along with Cody. Cody stood guard while the girls opened the window to Princess's bedroom; Blossom and Buttercup threw Princess onto her bed, climbed out of the window before shutting it; the group scrambled to get off the property and they made it back to the lab without getting caught.

"I still can't believe you three never said anything about Princess being a victim of Black Z Rays," Bridgette said, with a groan. "And now look what's happened!"

"We're sorry, Bridgette, we should have told you." Blossom said.

"How about we bury the hatchet and get back to the party?" Bubbles asked.

"I agree with Bubbles," Cody said, holding Bubbles' hand. "We need to let this go."

The group went back to the party, and soon, the entire cake was eaten.

"Man, you know what you're doing, Bridgette!" Buttercup said.

"Thanks…" Bridgette said, smiling.

Back at the Morbucks Manor, Princess was in the kitchen, whipping some cake batter in a bowl, but she was splattering it all over the place, in her hair, on her face.

"I'll show Bridgette I can be a better baker than she'll ever be!" Princess said, as she put the cupcakes into the oven, which was on its highest heat setting for 'bake'.

* * *

The next day at school, the girls were around Bridgette's desk, munching on some leftover hamentaschen, as well as some cupcakes that Bridgette had made the previous night.

"Great cupcakes, Bridge!" Buttercup commented.

"Yeah! I don't think my granny can make desserts as good as these!" Bubbles commented.

"Hey, those cupcakes look good," A voice said, and then the girls looked up to see their classmate, Ernie. "May I have one?"

"Sure, there's plenty," Bridgette said, handing one to Ernie. "I think there's enough for the entire class. Cody, the girls, and I have already eaten one each."

"_HEY GUYS! CUPCAKES!"_ Ernie shouted, and then the entire classroom gathered around Bridgette's desk.

Each student took a cupcake, and there were comments of how delicious they were and they were savoring the cupcake.

"This buttercream is great!" Mandy said, as she ate one.

"I love chocolate cake!" Another girl said, as everyone in the classroom was eating one.

However, one was leftover, and there was a certain student absent – Princess.

"I guess we should save one for Princess." Cody said.

"Good idea," Bubbles said, agreeing with her boyfriend. "It would be rude."

"And we don't want that trigger of hers happening again." Bridgette stated.

Princess barged into the room, as if on cue, and she was holding a tray of poorly made cupcakes. The decoration was pretty sloppy, and just by looking at them, it was clear they were overdone, and even burnt.

Princess made a beeline for Bridgette's desk, and put the tray down.

"Princess… You made these?" Bridgette asked, not liking what the answer was going to be.

"Yes, I did!" Princess said, puffing out her chest.

Bridgette sweat dropped, and handed Princess the last cupcake she made, before telling Princess, "I hope you like it."

"If it's as good as the cakes you made for my party, then I know I will," Princess said, as she ate it. "Now you try one of mine!"

Bridgette then reluctantly took a cupcake, took off the wrapper, and it was revealed that the cupcake was vanilla, but it was burnt.

Bridgette also noticed that the frosting was a commercial variety, and the sprinkles were from the same package.

Bridgette took a bite, chewed it, and then her face went blue for a second. She started coughing, and Bubbles got her some water. Bridgette downed the water, and then she started breathing heavily.

"So?" Princess said, hoping for a good review.

"Okay, either you made these from a box and followed the instructions wrong, or you followed a from-scratch recipe and did it completely wrong. The cake itself looks like chocolate, but the cake is actually vanilla. It's dry, burnt, bitter, crunchy, and overall _bland_. You also did a pretty nasty job decorating the cupcakes; all you did was spread canned frosting with a knife on these and slapped some sprinkles on," Bridgette said, _not_ impressed. "In other words, this is _**JUNK**_."

Bridgette then threw the entire tray of cupcakes into the trash, turned to Princess, and said, "You could qualify for "Worst Cooks In America", Princess. And coming from me, that's pretty big."

Princess then got angry once again, and said, angrily, "Are you calling me a terrible cook?!"

"If the shoe fits," Bridgette said, with a shrug. "Just like not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth, not everyone is born with a chef knife in their hand."

"Meaning?" Blossom asked.

"Not everyone is a good cook in the beginning; sometimes it takes practice, teaching, or even both," Bridgette said. "But considering this was your first time, this is to be expected."

"Bridgette's a better baker, that much I can say." "She's smart, too." "Totally cool!" "She's the first one to have the guts to put Princess in her place."

"You're being a little too kind, guys…" Bridgette said, with a sweat drop.

Seeing how Bridgette was getting showered with praise and attention, Princes grew angry.

The scene transitioned to Morbucks Manor after school that day, where Princess had just screamed in frustration and anger.

"That Bridgette makes me so angry! I'll show her! I can be a much better baker than she ever will be!" Princess shouted, as she slammed her hand on Sapphire's tail.

Sapphire screamed, once again, and Princess's transformation was triggered.

Once again, Princess was in her monster form, and was ready to steal sweets.

"I'll show the world that I can make better cupcakes than anyone! And I'll start by _stealing_ the cupcakes!" Princess shouted, before flying out the window.

* * *

Back with the girls, they were walking to the lab to meet up with everyone.

"Nice job putting Princess in her place, Bridgette," Bubbles said. "No one has ever done that before you did."

"Sometimes you gotta put people in their position or else they'll become arrogant. Albeit I think it might be a bit late in Princess's case." Bridgette said, with a laugh.

"No kidding," Blossom said. "Now let's get to the lab before we have to be called in to save the day again."

"I wouldn't mind that too much," Buttercup said. "I need to kick some monster butt."

"So do I," Bridgette said. "I just hope it's not Princess this time."

"I would settle for Mojo Jojo right about now," Blossom said, with a shrug. "Or maybe The Gangreen Gang?"

"Um, girls, we might want to hurry up; Cody will be waiting for us." Bubbles said, cutting into the conversation.

"You're right." Bridgette said.

The girls continued walking to the lab.

However, in the main city, Princess, in monster form, had a giant mixing bowl on top of her usual building; she was whisking together a large amount of chocolate cake batter and she was making a mess. Batter dropped onto the people of the city and onto the roads, too. It was causing a lot of problems, but Princess did not care. She also had a large amount of cupcakes behind her; these were ones that she had stolen a few minutes ago.

"Hahahahahaha! I'll be making the best cupcakes in town!" Princess said.

Back at the lab, everything was peaceful. However, the peace was about to be disturbed, as Poochi's nose twitched again.

Poochi started barking and then Ken came over to his robot dog and asked, "Poochi, what's the matter?"

"It's Princess again!" Poochi said, jumping up and down.

The Professor switched on the monitors, and saw Princess, causing problems with her baking.

"Poochi, you know what to do!" Cody said.

"Right! _PowerPuff Girls, we need you!_" Poochi said, sounding the call.

Just as the girls were about to cross the street to get to the lab, the girls' belts started going off.

"Oh, crap!" Buttercup said, with a groan.

"Let's go!" Blossom said.

The girls transformed, and launched themselves into the sky to stop Princess.

"Let's go teach that royal pain a lesson!" Bridgette said.

"You said it!" Bubbles said.

The girls then made it on the scene and saw Princess snacking on the stolen cupcakes while mixing the cupcakes.

"Oh, man! Must have been what happened today at school that made her this angry!" Bubbles said.

"_GRRRRR…!_" Bridgette started growling, and then the girls looked over in Bridgette's direction.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette ignored Blossom and merely hollered, _"YOU CAN'T EAT ON THE JOB AND BAKE AT THE SAME TIME! THAT'S A HEALTH CODE VIOLATION!"_

"Oh, boy, Bridgette's snapped…" Buttercup said.

"When it comes to cake and pastry and how to do it right, she'll be angry at any improper technique." Bubbles said.

"Let's get her girls!" Bridgette said, angrily.

"Hahahahaha! I'll become the best baker in the city!" Princess said, and then she took a handheld cannon out of thin air. She then launched cupcakes towards the PowerPuff Girls, and then they all flew off in different directions to dodge the cupcakes.

The cupcakes were crushed against the walls, the frosting was smudged, the decorations were all over the ground, and cake had splattered everywhere.

Seeing this, Bridgette got very angry at the scene. Looking in Princess's direction, Bridgette grit her teeth as her eyes started glowing pale pink; her fists tightened as she got really angry.

"_HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO PERFECTLY GOOD CAKE!_ Using cake and pastries for ammunition… I can't believe you!" Bridgette shouted, as she summoned her swords.

"Bridgette, calm down!" Blossom said.

"How can I calm down?! Princess is treating cake like crud! How can you expect me to forgive that?!" Bridgette said, as she tried to shove Blossom off of her.

Princess shot one cupcake after another at the girls, but the girls kept dodging the cupcakes; the treats hit walls, causing them to splatter and make a mess of the city.

"I don't believe this! Bubbles, can you try catching them?" Blossom asked.

"Okay!" Bubbles said, as she fired bubbles from her wand, and each bubble caught a cupcake, and then they were floating in mid-air, harmlessly.

"Thanks, Bubbles," Buttercup said. "Now let's teach this brat a lesson!"

Princess shot more cupcakes at the girls, and she loaded the canon up with some chocolate cake batter, and shot it at the girls, too.

"Run!" Blossom shouted, as the girls then flew out of the way, but Bridgette got some chocolate batter splattered on to her face.

Bridgette took a finger and licked some of the batter; her face then grew disgusted, and then she shouted, "You used melted chocolate in this, didn't you?!"

"Hahahahaha! Of course I did! Isn't that the obvious way to make chocolate cake?" Princess said, haughtily.

"_You dolt!_ You're supposed to use _Dutch-processed cocoa powder_ for chocolate cake! Not unless you're making red velvet, which is something else." Bridgette shouted, as she was clearly annoyed with Princess's ineptitude.

Bridgette then had a vein throbbing in her forehead as she then started spinning around while holding her swords out to their sides; she shouted, _"Swornado!"_

Princess shot more cake batter and cupcakes at Bridgette; however, Bridgette sliced through the cupcake like a hot knife through butter while Bridgette became covered in cake batter.

Princess then flew in the air and dodged Bridgette's attack. Bridgette landed on the platform Princess used; Bridgette was dizzy and trying to keep her balance.

"I'll take this one!" Blossom said, as she then shot her yo-yo at Princess, tying her up. "Hey, Buttercup, time for your cue!"

"Right! _Hyper-Sonic Swing!_" Buttercup shouted, as she slammed her hammer on Princess's head, knocking her out. Princess knocked over all of the cupcakes and spilled all of the batter.

"Bubbles!" Bridgette said, as she got her balance back.

"Right! Bubble Catcher!" Bubbles shouted, as she used her bubbles to catch the leftover cupcakes and the batter.

Meanwhile, Blossom and Buttercup had caught Princess in her usual sack before telling everyone, "Okay, we got her."

"That's better…" Bubbles said, as all of the bubbles were floating harmlessly.

"Let's hurry and get back to the lab so I can shower; I'm covered in this bad batter." Bridgette said, as she shook off some of the batter that was on her arms and legs.

"Good idea." Blossom said.

As Princess was being changed back to normal, Bridgette was drying her hair with a towel, while still fully dressed, having gotten done with her shower.

"Man, that girl has no clue what she's doing with the real world, does she? Then again, growing up in a large mansion with all the money in the world as well as maids everywhere, it's not completely her fault." Bridgette said, once she put the towel down.

"Hey, Bridgette, all of that fighting made me hungry," Blossom said, changing the subject. "While the girls and I go bring Princess home, can you whip up some more cupcakes?"

"I think we may have had enough cupcakes for one day; how about croissants instead?" Bridgette offered, as she took out some croissant dough form the fridge.

"_Okay!"_ The girls said, before they flew out of the lab, with Princess in their arms, and headed to Morbucks Manor.

As Bridgette was building up the croissants, she added some surprises in them. A few of the croissants were going to be chocolate, another batch was to be plain, and the final batch was going to be apple pie.

"I love baking! Anyone who botches it up isn't going to hear the end of it from me! Hahaha!" Bridgette said, as she winked while she cut out the dough.

* * *

**That's a wrap! Yes, I know a lot of these chapters have baking in them, but could you just work with me on this? I know, it's going to take a while to get used to all of that knowledge, but I know what I'm doing… Either way, I hope you liked it!**

**Next time…**

**Blossom: *Gets splashed with water/paint* **_**ACK!**_

**Bridgette: What happened, Blossom?! Are you okay?**

**Bubbles: I think I know what's happening! Randy's up to his old tricks!**

**Buttercup: Not that rat again! We need to give him what for!**

**Bridgette: Why that little…! I'll give him a piece of my -**

**?: *Menacingly* Hey! Leave her alone!**

**Everyone: *shudders* **

**?: *****To Blossom***** You okay?**


	9. Chapter 9

**They say looks can be deceiving, and in this chapter, that phrase is going to be proven once again! There's a new boy in school who's quite the enigma; he's a chivalrous boy with a menacing side, and he is too timid about something to take off his sunglasses. But when Randy Finkleman, Blossom's old flame, discovers his secret, will he succeed in getting Blossom back? Probably not...**

**New character is an OC belonging to my long-time fanfiction friend, The Cat Whispurrer.**

* * *

_Here's Blossom's Romeo!_

In the city, there were a lot of wrecked buildings and roads going in one trail, which led to a large crater in the city that kept getting bigger and buildings were falling down faster and in bigger amounts.

The trail of wreckage led to Mojo Jojo using mechanical arms from a large octopus-like robot to cause damage and make problems for the citizens. Some were running around, screaming, others had taken cover under some more wreckage, while others still were just standing around, trying not to get hurt, while screaming for the PowerPuff Girls.

"Hahahahahaha! Using my new Robo Jojo, I can destroy the city and take over the world!" Mojo said, before cackling.

"_Boomerang Blade!" _A female voice shouted.

A boomerang-like object flew around out of nowhere, sliced an arm off, and then it returned to the hand of its owner. It turned out it was Bridgette, who threw one of her swords like a boomerang; she put the sword back as the girls landed on another, intact, building.

"_Think you can do your usual city-wrecking thing? Not with us around – The PowerPuff Girls!" _The four girls shouted, as they made their group pose.

"Your city-wrecking stunts are getting _very old_, Mojo," Bridgette said. "Like a menu in a bakery that never changes."

"You're the stinky humans that never change!" Mojo said.

"Correction: _you're _the stinky _monkey_ that never changes." Bridgette said, throwing Mojo's words back at him.

The girls began laughing at this, and then Mojo sweat dropped at this sudden joke. Once the girls calmed down, they refocused on the task at hand. They each drew their weapons, and they were ready to take down Mojo.

"Ready, girls?" Blossom said.

"_Right!" _Bridgette, Bubbles, and Buttercup said, following their leader.

"_Yo-Yo Shot!"_ Blossom shouted, as she shattered the cockpit glass with her yo-yo, which exposed Mojo to the girls and he knew what he was in for.

"_Bursting Bubbles!" _Bubbles shouted, throwing Bubbles at Mojo, which forced him out of the cockpit.

"Hey, Bridge? How about a combination move?" Buttercup asked.

"I was thinking the same thing!" Bridgette said, with a smirk.

The girls joined their free hands together, they each held out their weapons, and they spun around at a very high speed, creating a yellow-green-pink tornado with a serrated edge.

"_Sword Hurricane!" _The two girls shouted as the tornado landed on Mojo. He was sucked into the tornado, scratched up by swords, and then he was thrown away by the wind the girls created.

"See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" Bridgette said, with a laugh; Buttercup laughed along with the girls.

"Now that that's done, let's hurry and get to school." Blossom said.

"Yes! I hate being late for school!" Bubbles said.

"Right back at you, girl." Bridgette said, as she and the girls started to fly at high speed to make it to school before the final bell of the morning.

* * *

The girls landed in some bushes about three meters away, and luckily, most of the kids were already inside.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" Blossom said, as the girls changed back, and then they dashed inside the school building before the bell rang. They made it into the classroom by running their fastest and not taking one rest.

Cody breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the girls had made it in time.

"That was way too close…" Bubbles said.

"We still have a few minutes," Buttercup said. "Wanna take a quick run to our lockers?"

"Good idea," Bridgette said. "Let's meet up at Blossom's locker and then get back here."

"Right." Blossom said, as did the other girls.

Bridgette had gotten her math book out of her locker, as well as a cookbook she had brought from home to read during the lull time. Buttercup had gotten a sports magazine and her Humanities book out of her locker. As for Bubbles, she took out her science book as well as some fashion magazines out of her locker.

The girls met up at Blossom's locker; just as Bridgette was about to say something, her sixth sense kicked in. Bridgette shuddered, and then she hugged her arms, as if she was having a cold flash.

"Bridgette, what's the matter?" Buttercup asked.

"Blossom, don't open your…" Bridgette was about to warn, but…

Blossom opened her locker, and then a water balloon that was filled with red paint hit her. Blossom screamed in reaction, as the paint was all over her shirt and face.

"…Locker. Too late." Bridgette said, before face-palming herself, in annoyance that she had not said anything sooner.

"Blossom!" Bubbles said, as she approached Blossom, and tried to help her get the paint off her face.

Bridgette got upset and then she said, "What kind of idiot would pull that kind of joke on Blossom?!"

"I think I know…" Buttercup said.

Immediately after saying so, the girls heard a very creepy laugh coming from across the hall; the girls turned around to see Randy Finkleman, the so-called "Class Clown".

Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom shuddered, while Bridgette just cocked an eyebrow; she was not sure what was going on, but the laugh was creeping her out, that much was certain.

"What's up with him? Or, moreover, who is that?" Bridgette asked Bubbles.

"That's Randy Finkleman; you probably haven't noticed him in our class since you're always so focused on the lesson at hand," Bubbles explained. "He's the "Class Clown", as it's called. Albeit he's more of a "Class Creep" than "Clown", I suppose."

"A prankster, huh?" Bridgette said, as she crossed her arms and gave Randy the so-called "skunk eye", which he had yet to notice.

Randy was still laughing while at his locker; unknown to him, or any of the other girls, for that matter, there was another boy who had seen the event, but was _not_ happy about it. He was a taller boy with black hair, with a backpack on, but he was wearing sunglasses for some strange reason.

"I don't believe it," Bridgette said, as she helped clean Blossom up. "Why would Randy do something like this?"

"He's always been a joker; Randy's played at least one dumb joke on everyone at school. Minus you, that is." Buttercup said.

"Oh, man, that was rich!" Randy said, as he tried to calm down, but a shadow overtook him.

Turning around, Randy then shuddered as he saw the taller boy with the black hair looking at him angrily.

The taller boy grabbed Randy by the collar and then he brought him up to eye level.

In a menacing tone of voice, Randy was asked, "What was _that_ for?!"

Randy stammered, unable to answer, but he managed to choke out, "Don't boys tease the girls they like?"

"_Younger_ boys do, but aren't we high school students?" The taller boy asked, his tone of voice still pretty mean.

Seeing this, the girls cocked an eyebrow at the scene and then they were not sure whether or not this new boy was a bully or coming to the girls' defense; they had a hard time telling due to his body language and tone of voice.

"Who's that?" Buttercup asked.

"Never seen him before," Bridgette said. "He's probably new."

The taller boy slammed Randy down on the floor and then he threatened, "Don't let me catch you doing that again or you're going to get _more_ than a warning from me!"

Randy then started sweating as he then flew back into the classroom in fear. The new boy then breathed a sigh of relief, and then he started making his way over to the girls.

"Um, Blossom, it looks like that new guy is coming over this way!" Bubbles whispered to Blossom.

Blossom had gotten most of the paint off, and then she panicked a little bit at this news.

"Um… *ahem* Are you okay?" He asked Blossom, politely.

"Oh, um, yes. I'm fine…" Blossom said, as she noticed how polite this new boy is.

"Please forgive me for intervening like that," He said. "I just hate it when girls aren't treated kindly."

"Um, thanks… Er…" Blossom said, trying to find a name for this boy.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Luke. Luke Armstrong." The boy, introduced as Luke, said, with a polite bow.

"Thank you, Luke…" Blossom said, with a light blush in her face.

"So… Um…" Luke said, trying to make conversation. "What might your names be?"

"I'm Blossom…" Blossom said, blushing. "These are my friends; the pigtailed blonde is Bubbles; the green-eyed tomboy is Buttercup, and our pink-eyed brunette over there is Bridgette."

"It's nice to meet all of you." Luke said.

"Dude, what's with the sunglasses?" Buttercup asked.

"Oh, these?" Luke asked. "I… Just like wearing them. Part of my fashion style."

"Oh, really?" Bridgette said, skeptical.

The bell then rang, and the girls decided to head to class.

Before Blossom could leave, Luke took her hand, and then he said, "I'll… See you later, Blossom?"

"Yes!" Blossom said, smiling.

"Do you notice a nice mood between them?" Bubbles asked.

"Yes, but I'm not liking this at all." Bridgette said.

"Again, Bridgette?" Buttercup asked.

* * *

The girls were soon in the classroom, as was Luke, but he was still wearing his sunglasses.

"I don't get it," Bubbles said. "Sunglasses aren't the latest trend; why is he wearing them?"

"Maybe he has a hard time seeing in bright light," Buttercup suggested. "That could be it."

"Or maybe he's hiding something." Bridgette stated.

"You're such a conspiracy theorist," Buttercup said. "Why do you always get on the defensive whenever a new boy is interested in one of us?"

"I have my reasons for such things, girls," Bridgette said. "I still wonder why you two are so oblivious to it."

Blossom was a little distracted; she kept thinking about why Luke wore sunglasses like he did.

"You okay?" Luke asked, as he patted Blossom on the shoulder.

Blossom looked at him, and she shuddered a little bit for some reason; she then asked, "Um, yes, I'm fine. But… Why do you still wear sunglasses?"

"It's complicated…" Luke said.

The girls merely looked at each other; what they failed to notice was that Randy was getting a little upset; he was staring angrily at Luke, who seemed to be acting friendly towards Blossom.

Bridgette's sixth sense kicked in again, and she shivered; Buttercup noticed and asked, "Girl, is there trouble you're sensing?"

"I think Randy is going to be up to his tricks a little later today." Bridgette said.

Bubbles and Buttercup looked at each other in concern as they heard this; they shivered, too.

Later that morning, Blossom was at her locker; opening it, she found nothing out of the ordinary; certainly nothing Randy would try.

She heard a slight knocking behind her; turning around, Blossom saw Luke, and then she said, "Oh, Luke."

"Hey, Blossom… So, um…" Luke said, blushing; for some reason, he had a hard time talking to Blossom. "What… do you like as far as… Interests go?"

What neither one knew was that Randy was watching the whole thing; he was _not_ liking what he was seeing.

"Are you… trying to get to know me?" Blossom asked; for some reason, Luke still unnerved her.

Luke merely nodded, as he said, "I… I've never seen a girl as cute as you before."

Blossom blushed immediately and she started fidgeting her feet; she then said, "No one's ever really told me that before. Boys usually think me annoying and geeky."

"I don't see why, though." Luke replied.

Randy started gritting his teeth and thought, _'That creep… After what he did to me, what right does he have to talk to Blossom like that?!'_

"Just like I don't see how someone like you can be so menacing…" Blossom said, shuddering.

"Still a little unnerved by what I did earlier in your defense?" Luke asked.

Blossom nodded, and she said, "I thought you were going to come after me and do what you did to Randy. I was a little surprised by your… um, is chivalry a good word?"

"I've been described that way by my mother a lot," Luke said, with a chuckle. "But I have that affect on everyone for some strange reasons. At times it's a blessing, other times, it's a curse."

Randy, hearing this, then thought, _'So, he's a menacing knight? If I can find out what he's like underneath those glasses, Blossom would be in my arms again!'_

He smirked before leaving, and he silently started chuckling a little bit.

"So, um…" Luke said. "Would you… Would you like to… Go to the park with me on Saturday?"

"Is this… Are you asking me out?" Blossom asked, as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Yes, I am…" Luke said, as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"YES!" Blossom said, giving Luke a hug. "Yes, I'll go out with you! I totally will!"

Luke blushed red in the face, as he hugged Blossom back. He thought, _'I'm on the right track… Now let's just hope she doesn't see my real face.'_

However, Blossom's belt buckle started going off, and then she made up a good lie; she told Luke, "Sorry, Luke, but I have to use the bathroom."

"Don't worry about it," Luke said. "I actually have to use the bathroom, too. See you in class?"

"Yes." Blossom said, blushing.

Luke then took Blossom's hand and kissed it, causing an explosion of hearts between the two of them.

Although she could not see it, Luke winked at Blossom before leaving.

Blossom went red in the face as she smiled, thinking that she had finally found her prince charming.

Randy had seen the whole thing, and he thought, _'Damn it! He beat me to the punch! Now that he's got a date with Blossom, I need to make sure that his true nature is revealed!'_

* * *

Blossom met up with Bridgette and the others on the roof; Buttercup asked, angrily, "What took you so long?!"

"Sorry… Luke was talking to me. He asked me out to the park on Saturday! He even kissed my hand." Blossom said, explaining.

"Luke was… Trying to ask you out?!" Bubbles asked.

"Yes, he was… Such a gentleman." Blossom said, red in the face.

"Let's just hurry up and clobber whatever monster is giving us problems!" Buttercup said.

"I concur," Bridgette said. "Let's go before Blossom's boy-crazy fantasies come back."

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

"Let's see what problems are going on today." Blossom said, taking out her compact.

"The RowdyRuff Boys again?! Didn't we clobber them last time?" Buttercup asked.

"Oh, that Bosco is SO going to get it when we tussle with them again!" Bridgette said, cracking her knuckles.

"Still angry about the first time?" Bubbles asked.

"YES!" Bridgette said, as a vein throbbed in her forehead.

"Then let's go!" Blossom said, as the four girls then flew off to save the day once again; they headed to the town square.

Back with Luke, he was in the bathroom, and he seemed a little nervous. He silently took off his glasses, and started to clean them. However, what he did not notice was Randy, still in the stall, was peeking out through the crack.

He saw something really interesting to him; he smirked, and thought, _'Perfect! I just need to make sure that he ends up revealing himself in front of Blossom, and I'm golden!'_

"Alright, Luke, you can do this…" Luke said, keeping himself on, as he put his glasses back on. "All you have to do is show Blossom a great time… Don't take off your glasses, and you'll be okay. You can do this, Luke…"

'_So, the secret is his glasses; if I can make sure Blossom sees this guy without his glasses, she'll break the date and take up with me! No doubt about it!'_ Randy thought, smirking, but refusing to laugh.

The girls, meanwhile, soon saw the boys doing graffiti once again, but Bosco, for some reason, was just lying around, as if he was bored or whatever.

"What I wouldn't give to see my kitty cat around now." Bosco said.

"She's more of a feral tiger than anything…" Boomer said; the boys had known Bosco had the hots for Bridgette, but they did not really like it.

They saw the colors streaks of their counterparts up in the sky. Bosco stood up, and then he said, "Right on time."

"_Stop right there, RowdyRuff Boys!" _The girls said, as they landed on the ground. _"Your days of vandalizing the town end here! Because now you're facing us – The PowerPuff Girls!"_

"Perfect timing, ladies," Brick said, teasingly. "Let's do it!"

The eight of them started fighting; each other with their counterpart.

Blossom used her yo-yo to tie Brick up, and she threw him into a wall before shooting her yo-yo at him once again.

"Ha! That's what you get for interrupting my love story!" Blossom said, angry.

"What is she talking about?" Boomer asked, but he was caught in one of Bubbles' bubbles.

"I think she's finally found her prince charming," Bubbles said, sweetly. "But your mischief interrupted."

Buttercup and Butch were beating each other up by kicking and punching one another and giving each other taunts and grief.

"Look, why are you doing this?! If it's for fun, you're not being very nice about it!" Bridgette said, as she and Bosco were fighting.

"I just wanted to see my little kitty-cat again. What's wrong with that?" Bosco said, lustfully.

"A lot of things!" Bridgette said, as she slashed at Bosco with her sword, only for him to duck or dodge. "For one thing, I'm _NOT_ your kitty-cat or whatever! I don't even _like _you! Or, rather, _I LOATHE_ you!"

"Well, I like _you_." Bosco said, with a wink.

"You're such a hog!" Bridgette shouted, kicking Bosco away.

"If I'm a hog, then you're my…" Bosco began, but…

"Finish that sentence and you're in for it then!" Bridgette said, as she kicked Bosco away once again.

The other three boys were down and out, while Bosco and Bridgette were really going at it.

"Heh," Bosco said, with a smirk. "Why do I even bother with those three? They're pathetic; I don't see why I should call them my brothers."

"For once, we agree." Bridgette said.

"So I guess you really _do_ like me?" Bosco said, as he made a seductive growl.

Bridgette shuddered as she slashed her sword at Bosco, who backed off a bit before jumping around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze; she squeaked a bit as she turned red in the face.

"You are _so_…" Bridgette said, about to charge energy into her swords.

However, she saw Bosco had a grenade on him. He smirked, and then he said, "I'll see you later, kitten."

He threw the grenade down, and in the smoke, he planted another kiss on Bridgette's cheek, before fleeing.

"See you soon, kitty-cat!" Bosco said, chuckling.

Once the smoke cleared, Bridgette had one her hands on her cheek again, and she was getting _very angry_.

"GRR!" Bridgette growled. "If I didn't know better, he would have gotten more than a few scrapes!"

"Bridgette, calm down," Bubbles said. "At least it wasn't your lips."

"Yeah, but still; a kiss is a kiss is a kiss!" Bridgette said, really ticked off at Bosco.

"Let's just head back to school." Blossom said.

The girls flew off back to the school, with Bridgette still angry.

* * *

Back at the school, Bridgette was grumbling while trying to wash off the kiss from Bosco; for obvious reasons, she was not happy with it.

Blossom, on the other hand, was trying her best to keep her head out of the clouds. She felt a tap on her shoulder; turning around, her face was met with a bouquet of red roses.

She looked beyond them, and she flinched, as she saw the face behind them: Randy.

"Randy, what are you doing?"

"Blossom…" Randy said, as he soon got serious.

Bubbles, Buttercup, and Bridgette were on their way to class when they saw what was happening. Luke did, too, but he was coming from the other direction.

"Randy?" Blossom asked, noticing how serious Randy's face was.

"I've… Had my eyes on you for a _very_ long time… Will… Will you go out with me?" Randy said, as he handed Blossom the roses.

Blossom was shocked at what she was hearing; Luke grew angry, while the girls were surprised at what was happening.

"Blossom, please! Break your date with Luke and be my steady girl!" Randy said, almost begging.

Blossom knew in the back of her mind that Randy most likely still had eyes for her, but after what happened previously, she did not feel the same way about him. All of the pranks that were pulled on her were no help, either. She _knew_ that she would prefer Luke over Randy.

Luke was watching the whole thing, and he was getting really angry and jealous of the situation. Bubbles and the others were watching, and they were all very concerned.

"That rat…! What right does he have to ask Blossom out after all of those stupid jokes he pulls on her?!"

"No right whatsoever," Buttercup said. "But I don't think that's going to stop him."

Blossom gripped her bag tighter; she got serious, and knew that she was going to have to tell Randy 'no'. So, she was going to.

"Randy… I'm flattered, but… The truth is that I'm actually starting to fall for…" Blossom said, about to turn him down, when…

Luke ran forward, in an angry rage; he was about to tackle Randy, under the impression that this was another one of his pranks. Randy sidestepped, triggering a trip wire, and Luke tripped on the wire, causing him to fall on his face. His landing caused his glasses to fall off his face, but his head was still down on the floor.

The girls were surprised at this turn of events.

"No! Luke!" Blossom shouted, as she ran to his side; Randy grabbed her hand.

"Don't do it, Blossom," Randy said. "He's a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"What makes you say that?" Blossom said, taking her hand away; she ran to Luke, and she got down on her knees.

"Luke, are you okay?!" Blossom said.

"NO! Don't look at me!" Luke said, trying to turn his face away from Blossom. "I'm not exactly the best boy to be making eyes at!"

Blossom, stubborn, insisted on looking at Luke. Once she saw Luke's face, she gasped, turned pale, shuddered, and she backed off.

Luke looked at the other girls and they had the same reaction.

Luke was revealed to have pitch-black eyes that were like staring into a demon's den; he also had a scar covering his left eye, which gave him a very intimidating appearance.

"Secret's out…" Luke said, as he sighed. "_THIS_ is why I never wanted to take off my glasses; I was born with this curse of having pitch-black eyes and this scar is really a birthmark. It's no help that everyone thinks me a monster; no matter how much of a gentleman I am, it won't change the fact that no one will look at me as more than… Than… A monster!"

Luke grabbed his glasses and put them back on before running off, in embarrassment.

Blossom, upset with this, shouted, "Luke, wait!"

Luke turned back to Blossom and then she asked, "Are we still on for Saturday?"

Luke merely nodded, before running away, down the hall, and he was soon gone.

Bridgette sensed something was off; turning to Randy, Bridgette shouted, "You planned this whole thing, didn't you?!"

"What are you talking about?" Randy asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, you rat!" Bridgette shouted. "You deliberately set this whole thing up because you _knew_ about Luke's intimidating face, and tried to scare Blossom into dumping him and going out with you!"

"How could you, Randy?" Bubbles asked, innocently.

"Yeah! I knew you had eyes for Blossom, but this is going too far!" Buttercup said.

Blossom started to cry, as she was hearing this news, and then she ran off in tears.

"Blossom, wait!" Randy shouted, about to go after her, when Bridgette blocked him.

"Oh, no you don't!" Bridgette said. "What right do you have to go after her? You're the one who caused this whole mess!"

"I'm just lucky Luke still is willing to go out with Blossom even after all of that." Buttercup said.

"Assuming his chivalrous demeanor is who he is in actuality. His eyes _do_ kind of give me the heebie geebies." Bubbles said.

"Yeah, I wonder if that's who he really is, too," Bridgette said. "Looks can be deceiving, and I think he might be that phrase personified. You never know with these things, though."

"As for you, Randy, you have no right to talk to Blossom after this!" Buttercup said.

"What do _you_ know, Bridgette?! You've never been in love before!" Randy snapped.

Bridgette recoiled a little bit, but calmed down, saying, "Oh, and _you_ have been? I'd hardly call teasing a girl and covering her in paint with a trap in her locker _love_, Randy!"

"I… I've been in love with Blossom for years! At one point, the feeling was mutual…" Randy said, going red in the face.

"Until you turned tail on her and started teasing her," Bridgette said, crossing her arms. "Pathetic!"

The girls then left to go after their friend to try cheering her up. Randy kicked the roses he dropped on the floor and he grumbled in frustration.

* * *

A few hours later, Blossom was back at the lab, pondering over what Luke had said about himself; Bridgette had made some Danishes for the team, and they were all eating them. However, Blossom only ate one, which was very out of character for her.

"_No matter how much of a gentleman I am, it won't change the fact that no one will look at me as more than… Than… A monster!"_

"Why would Luke say that about himself?" Blossom asked aloud.

Cody and Bubbles looked at Blossom in confusion while Bridgette looked at her friend in concern. Meanwhile, Ricardo and Buttercup were outside the lab in the yard, playing soccer, as a date between the two of them.

"Well, maybe it was hard for him to make friends with a face like that," Cody said. "I know how it was when I was still a werewolf just to chat with someone. That is, until Bubbles helped me."

"I can see where that would be a hindrance." Bridgette said.

"Look at Buttercup and Ricardo out there," Bubbles said, as she looked out the window. "They're certainly having fun."

"And missing out on my Danishes!" Bridgette said, really annoyed.

"Leave them alone," Cody said. "Let's concentrate on Blossom's dilemma."

"I'm still going to go out with him on Saturday; I just hope he doesn't wear those glasses." Blossom said.

"You actually _want _to be intimidated by his look?" Bridgette asked.

"I want to be able to look beyond that," Blossom said. "Just like Bubbles was able to see beyond Cody's monster form."

"Well said." Cody said, with an approving nod.

"I just hope nothing happens in the middle of your date." Bubbles said.

"You mean an alert happening?" Blossom asked.

"Right," Bridgette said. "If we have to go up against the RowdyRuff Boys again, I'm going to put the "pounce" in Bosco's "kitty-cat"! Ugh, that guy _BURNS_ me!"

"Still angry about the kisses on the cheek he gave you?" Bubbles asked.

"Yes!" Bridgette replied, as she slumped back into the chair.

Bridgette was still grumbling and griping about Bosco and his behavior; she was just _not_ happy with him.

"Anyway, I'm going to learn who he is for real," Blossom said. "Intimidating, yes, but a monster? I don't think so."

"Very… Belle-like of you." Bridgette said, referencing Disney's "Beauty And The Beast".

"I don't care that he has intimidating eyes! I… I think I've found my prince charming!" Blossom said, as tears formed in her eyes.

"Just… Be careful out there, okay?" Bridgette asked.

Blossom nodded.

* * *

The following Saturday, Luke was at the fountain in the park, where he and Blossom agreed to meet up. He looked at his watch; he was there early, and was hoping Blossom would be either early, or on time, as well.

"I hope she doesn't back out on me, now…" Luke said, praying for Blossom to come.

Blossom, with her purse, wearing a nice, red shirt, and her favorite denim skirt, and her hair in its usual red bow and style, was walking to the park, while making sure she looked fine with her makeup. She decided not to use any lipstick, and used very minimal eye makeup as a whole. Blossom took a deep breath and decided to head to the park.

She saw Luke at the fountain, with a bouquet of red roses in hand, and she smiled; he still had his sunglasses on.

"Luke!" Blossom said, as she trotted over to Luke. "Did you wait long?"

"No, I just got here, myself," Luke said, as he handed the roses to Blossom. "I hope you like roses. I got them for you."

"I love them!" Blossom said, as she took the flowers and smiled with a pink blush in her cheeks.

Luke smiled, and he blushed, too; he then asked, "What would you like to do first?"

"Just one thing before we get started," Blossom said, as she motioned for Luke to come closer with her finger. "Come a little closer."

Luke did not question it; he leaned in, only for Blossom to yank off his glasses.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Luke said, trying to grab them back, but…

"Luke, I want you to know that you look better without these," Blossom said, pocketing his glasses. "It was intimidating at first, but you look a lot more handsome like this."

"You really think so?" Luke said; he looked in the water and he sighed. "I always was thought a bully or a gangster because of how I look. It's just a curse of nature that I was born with this."

Blossom came beside Luke and looked into the water, too. She told him, "I couldn't care less about that. You've shown me time and time again that you're a chivalrous gentleman."

"Thanks, Blossom," Luke said, as he turned to Blossom and took her hand. "Want to take a walk?"

Blossom nodded, as her face was tinted pink, and as she locked arms with Luke, they started taking a walk together in the park.

"So… You and Randy…" Luke said, trying to make conversation. "Have history together?"

Blossom frowned a bit, but she said, "Somewhat. Long story short, when I was thirteen, he was notorious for pulling pranks on everyone at school. However, at the time, I had no idea why he never did anything to me. Turns out he had a crush on me; at first, I started to reciprocate, but… He then turned on me; I've hated him since."

"Started pulling those sick jokes on you?" Luke asked.

"Pretty much." Blossom said.

Luke saw a crepe vendor truck, and his stomach suddenly growled. Luke blushed out of embarrassment, and chuckled sheepishly.

"Hungry?" Blossom asked, unlocking her arm with Luke, also giggling.

"Yeah, I am," Luke said, with a chuckle. "Want a crepe?"

"I've been getting addicted to Bridgette's baking, but a crepe, she's never done. So, why not?" Blossom said, with a smile.

Luke went red in the face when he saw Blossom's smile, and then they decided to go for the crepe truck.

Blossom got a chocolate crepe with strawberries and chocolate cream inside, while Luke got a regular crepe with lemonade cream.

"How are you enjoying today?" Luke asked, after he swallowed some of his crepe.

"Best date I've ever had," Blossom said. "Even though it's the only one I've ever had."

"So… I'm your first boyfriend?" Luke asked, blushing.

Blossom leaned on Luke's shoulder and she smiled, while saying, "Yes."

The mood was getting really good between Blossom and Luke; Luke used his free hand to wrap his arm around Blossom's shoulder.

'_This is just pure bliss…' _Blossom thought. _'The only thing that could ruin this is an alert.'_

* * *

Back at the lab, the girls and Cody were munching on some fresh Italian bread Bridgette had made.

"Great bread, Bridgette," Bubbles said. "I don't think I've ever made bread this good."

"Thanks, girls," Bridgette said. "I wonder how Blossom's doing out there? If that Luke harms one hair on her head, he's Romeo road kill!"

"Hate to change the subject," Buttercup said. "But why can't we let Ricardo inside the lab? He's Blossom's cousin, and my boyfriend."

"He's not in on the secret, Buttercup," Bridgette said. "We can't risk anyone else finding out! Cody being a victim of Black Z Rays, and being able to remember everything between changes, plus the fact that Bubbles had to reveal herself to him, that's one thing, but Ricardo is a different case."

"Oh, fine…" Buttercup complained.

The Professor, Ken, and Poochi dashed in, and then the Professor said, "Girls! We've got a problem! It's the Ameoba Boys again."

"Those pathetic microbes? Are you sure?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes! Poochi, sound the call!" Ken said.

"Wait, hold it! Blossom is…" Bubbles said, about to tell the men about Blossom being on a date.

"_PowerPuff Girls, we need you!"_

The girls' belts started beeping; Buttercup complained, "How is Blossom going to get out of this one, I wonder…"

Back at the park, Blossom and Luke were still walking in the park when Blossom's belt started going off.

'_Oh, no! Why NOW?!' _Blossom thought, about to panic.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked.

"I just remembered that I have a dentist appointment in about thirty minutes," Blossom lied. "So… I'm sorry about this."

"It's okay, Blossom," Luke said, believing her. "I'll see you at school."

"Thanks, Luke!" Blossom said, before taking out the glasses and giving them back. "Here are your glasses back."

"Thank you," Luke said. "Before you go…"

"What?" Blossom said, but Luke immediately kissed Blossom on her lips, causing her heart to throb. Her cheeks went red, and her eyes went wide.

After Luke stopped the kiss, he said, "I hope it goes well at the dentist."

"Thank you…" Blossom said, before leaving the park to go and hide somewhere to transform.

Luke took his glasses out, and then he said, "I don't need these anymore."

He put them on the ground, and crushed them with his foot, while smiling in satisfaction.

After transforming, the girls met up in the sky above City Hall, and Blossom was the last to arrive.

"So, how'd it go?" Bubbles asked.

"It's like the time I had my first kiss… Only _MUCH BETTER!_" Blossom said.

"Wait… He _kissed_ you?!" Bridgette asked; she as _not_ liking where this situation was going, but she dare not say it.

Blossom nodded dreamily, before getting serious, and then she said, "Let's go stop the Amoeba Boys!"

The girls then flew off to the center of the city, but Blossom was blushing and smiling, as she finally found a boyfriend who loved her for who she was as a whole.

"YES! I finally have a boyfriend!" Blossom declared, as she punched her fist in the air and smiled whilst laughing.

"Let's see how long it lasts…" Bridgette muttered.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Now, all credit for Luke Armstrong goes to my friend, The Cat Whispurrer. Please give him a shot (and by that, I mean read his stories; he's really good). **

**Next time…**

**Blossom: We're taking Bridgette to Annie's restaurant; I hope Bridgette likes Annie's cooking!**

**Bridgette: I'm sure I will, with the way you talk about her work. These whirly-cakes of hers are really good!**

**Bubbles: Hold on, girls. Isn't that Jason over there? What's he doing in a jewelry store? What about Annie?**

**Bridgette: Am I missing something, or are Annie and this Jason fellow an item?**

**Buttercup: Yes, they are. But with the way things are unfolding right now, I'm beginning to sense trouble…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Uh-oh! Looks like there's trouble in paradise – Annie's paradise, that is. She catches her boyfriend, Jason, in a jewelry store with another woman, and she gets the wrong idea on a whole new level. She transforms into Sedusa for the first time in a really long while and now she's about to face the girls' wrath… Assuming Jason can't clear up the misunderstanding first. Let's see how well that's going to go…**

* * *

_Proposal Gone Amok_

The girls were walking to Annie's restaurant; Blossom decided that it was time that Bridgette tasted some of Annie's cooking, as she had never been to Annie's place before.

"So, Blossom, how has Luke been treating you since you've… ugh… hooked up?" Bridgette asked, with a visible shudder; she still had some misgivings about Buttercup and Blossom's love stories.

Blossom and Luke had been going out for about a week, and they were just as happy and in love as when they first met. Luke stopped wearing his sunglasses altogether; other students were freaked out by it, but as long as he had Blossom, he did not really care.

"Luke and I have been doing great!" Blossom said, hearts fluttering around her head. "He's such a gentleman! He even said he would protect all four of us from any harm; he says its part of his chivalrous nature. And you'll never guess what he gave me yesterday!"

Luke had recently given her a box of handmade chocolate; they had some bitterness to them, but Blossom loved them, because she could taste Luke's affection for her.

"Oh, those chocolates he made were so good; even the bitter aftertaste was pleasant!" Blossom commented, as she remembered the red, heart-shaped box she was given; she was still carrying it in her hands, and showing it to the girls.

"Cody gave me a bouquet of pink and red roses to me yesterday!" Bubbles said, as she remembered putting the bouquet of roses in a vase of water back at her house.

She remembered the previous day after school, Cody shyly presented the roses to Bubbles; she took them into her hands and she hugged Cody, being careful not to crush the bouquet. Naturally, all of the boys who had eyes for Bubbles that saw this were less than happy that a stranger, to them at least, had won her over in such a short amount of time.

"Ricardo and I played some soccer the other day," Buttercup said. "For once, I got beat! But rather than bragging, he treated me to some ice cream after the game."

"That's so sweet!" Blossom and Bubbles said, as they talked.

Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles would not stop talking about how much fun they were having with their boyfriends. They were laughing and talking about how much they loved the boys.

This was beginning to annoy Bridgette, and a few veins started to throb in her head; rather than lashing out at her friends and berating them for talking about the boys they loved, Bridgette just exhaled to try to calm herself down.

"At least _your_ boyfriends never hurt you…" Bridgette said, muttering.

"Hurt us?" Blossom said, as she heard what Bridgette said.

"Yeah… At least they won't hurt you… The way _I _was hurt." Bridgette said, hugging her shoulders.

"What are you talking about?" Buttercup asked. "Does this have anything to do with your negativity towards our love stories?"

"It has _everything_ to do with it. I'm not a completely healed Broken Bird yet," Bridgette said. "I'll tell you later; it's probably best to say this sort of thing in private and _not_ at Annie's."

Bridgette indicated the sign for Annie's restaurant; the girls smiled, forgetting Bridgette's troubles, and they went inside the restaurant.

They soon saw an older girl with freckles, glasses, and braids, wearing a blue uniform, and she was working in the back of the counter. Another young man, wearing orange, with brown hair, and the same color eyes as Annie, was sitting at a certain table away from the girls. Both Annie, and the young man were red in the face, but while Annie was diligently working, the young man was more focused on looking at her instead.

"Hi, Annie!" Blossom said.

Looking up from the counter, Annie smiled a little bit, and said, "Oh, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup; come on in."

As the girls walked inside to sit at a table, Bridgette was looking around at the décor of the restaurant.

Noticing Bridgette, Annie asked, "Who's your new friend?"

"Oh, Annie, this is Bridgette; she moved here from New Citiesville about a month or so ago." Bubbles said.

"It's nice to meet you, Annie," Bridgette said. "I'm impressed with the traditional theme of the restaurant. It's very attractive. I'll bet the food is just as good."

"Thank you," Annie said. "I worked hard with my parents to open this place."

"I know your cooking will be top-notch, Annie," Buttercup said. "And Bridgette is an expert at baking; I'm sure she'll be able to give you some good advice to improve the place, if any at all."

"That's not to say the restaurant is good as it is." Blossom said.

"Oh…" Annie said, shyly; she sort of thought Bridgette was a food critic or something.

"Now, girls, don't go putting pressure on Annie," Bridgette said. "You brought me here because I've never been here before; something of a miniature tour of the city."

Bridgette sat down next to Bubbles at the table, and she sighed before looking at the menu.

"The Whirly-cakes with beanie berry jam is one of Annie's best items!" Blossom said, across the table. "You have to try it!"

"Okay…" Bridgette said, putting her menu down.

Once the girls' orders came out, Bridgette took a bite of the whirly cake. She chewed a bit, in examination; Annie was waiting anxiously for Bridgette's critique. The girls were also nervous about what Bridgette had to say about Annie's cooking.

Bridgette swallowed, and then she told Annie, "Blossom wasn't kidding; this really _is_ good. My only slight suggestion would to add some kind of crunchy item to the jam filling for contrast in texture."

"That might be a good idea." Annie said, thinking about the idea.

"Nice to see you approve, Bridgette," Buttercup said. "But…"

There was a crash out of nowhere, and then Jason was revealed to have dropped his tea glass and it shattered.

"Oh, man…" Jason said, timidly.

"Don't worry, I'm coming." Annie said, as she put down her tray.

Jason was going red in the face as he watched Annie pick up the supplies needed to clean up the spill.

Annie, wearing rubber gloves, grabbed a dustpan and broom and started cleaning up the tea and shards.

'_Such grace…' _Jason thought, as he watched his girlfriend work.

Jason got down on his knees to help out by wiping up the tea; at one point, his hand and Annie's hand made contact, and they soon went red in the face at seeing each other. They both started acting shy, but the situation became awkward after the spill was cleaned up.

The girls took note of this, but Bridgette was too focused on the food than the situation between Annie and Jason.

"Hey, those two certainly have been doing fine together, haven't they?" Blossom said.

"Yeah, they have, haven't they?" Bubbles said, in agreement.

"I guess so," Buttercup said. "Those two have been going steady for a while now."

"Am I missing something?" Bridgette asked, as she overheard what her friends had been saying.

"Oh, sorry," Bubbles said. "Um, long story short, Annie and Jason are dating; they have been for quite a long time."

"Another romance, huh… Tch. And how many times has Jason hurt Annie?" Bridgette muttered.

"Um… Never, why?" Blossom asked.

'_Okay, so maybe I could be wrong about romance as a whole…' _Bridgette thought, with a sweat drop. "This is probably something that isn't up for discussion where those two can hear us…"

"Is this about why you can't trust romance again?" Buttercup asked.

"Yes…" Bridgette said, as she sipped her tea without a word.

The girls just looked at each other in concern; they did not know what to make of their friend's gripes about love.

"I'm surprised Jason hasn't proposed, yet." Bubbles said.

Hearing this, Jason did a spit take before coughing a little bit; seeing this, Blossom said, "Bubbles! Not out loud! This isn't exactly a large restaurant."

"Yeah; news spreads around quickly in these more intimate areas," Bridgette said. "Don't go spouting off nonsense."

Jason was hearing what the girls were saying; he was thinking, _'They don't know that I've been thinking about it for a while. I have every intention of it; I just can't do it in public like this or I could be humiliated if she says 'no'…' _

The girls' belts started going off; Bridgette groaned and then she muttered, "Darn…"

"Annie, we need to get going," Blossom said, putting down the money needed for the tab. "We got some extra studying to do!"

The girls then ran out of the restaurant and left Annie and Jason alone in the building.

Annie and Jason blushed before sneaking glances at one another; although they both liked each other, and were dating, they were not above being shy.

"So…" Jason said, trying to break the ice. "That was certainly out of nowhere."

"Yeah," Annie said, while still blushing. "I wonder what that was all about? I know they said extra studying, but why did they leave in such a rush?"

"Who knows? Maybe they have a tutor and just didn't want to be late." Jason said. _'I'd better take the plunge and soon.'_

"That could be it…" Annie said. _'This is so awkward… I know he and I are going out, but…'_

Back outside, the girls were running around, trying to find a place to hide and transform. Bridgette was heading up the rear, Blossom was in front, leading, and Bubbles and Buttercup were in the middle of the group.

"Are you sure we should just leave those two alone in there?" Bridgette asked, as she followed her friends around the corner to find a place to hide.

"They'll be fine!" Bubbles said, with a large smile and a cheerful giggle.

"I just hope Jason doesn't hurt Annie…" Bridgette said.

"He won't; that we can promise." Blossom said, with a smile.

"I hope so…" Bridgette said.

"What is it with you?" Buttercup said. "Every time romance is mentioned, you get defensive; I understand you're worried about us, but you're going overboard. Why do you have such a distrust issue with boys?"

"Forget about it, Buttercup," Bridgette said, changing the subject; the girls had found a good hiding spot. "We'll talk about this later; we have to go and stop whatever monster is causing problems."

The girls transformed, but nobody saw, and then they flew out of the alleyway to go and save the day, as always.

* * *

Back with Jason, he was inside a very high-end jewelry store. It was more of a store that was strictly diamond rings. Looking around, Jason was looking at all of the rings inside the store.

Jason looked in one case, and he saw a ring with a silver band that had diamonds embedded in it. The diamond itself was carved into a heart, and the price was within Jason's reach.

"This is perfect for Annie!" Jason said, as he admired the ring.

"Oh, do you like that ring, sir?" A woman asked.

She was a worker at the store; she seemed very sweet and very nice at first glance. Then again, it could be said, from Bridgette's perspective, that it was professionalism that the worker was displaying.

"Yes, I do," Jason said. "I'm planning on popping the question to my girlfriend soon. And I mean _soon_."

"Oh, how sweet," The worker said, smiling. "And this particular ring catches your fancy, I see."

"Yes; it's perfect for her!" Jason said, as the worker took the ring out of the case and she showed it to Jason.

"It's even more beautiful if you see it when it's _not_ behind the glass," The worker said, as she gave the ring to Jason. "I think that the ring will perfect."

"I agree with you." Jason said.

Outside, nearby, Annie was walking around the area, looking at wholesale stores around the area to get consistent supply of her ingredients for the restaurant.

"Now, let's see… A vendor for a consistent supply of honey…" Annie said, as she was looking around for the right store. "Honey is really becoming a rarity these days. I hope the honeybee population picks up…"

Annie noticed Jason in the jewelry store, with the clerk of the shop. Annie raised an eyebrow.

"Is that Jason? What is he doing?" Annie asked aloud.

"Now, let's see if this ring will fit her." Jason said, as he put the ring on the clerk's finger.

Seeing this, Annie gasped. She could not hear what Jason and the clerk were saying, so her eyes were filling up with tears at the sight of this event.

The clerk nodded, and then Jason jumped for joy.

"No…" Annie said, dropping her groceries.

Jason was unaware that Annie had seen everything, so he was just doing a bit of a happy dance. However, Annie was unaware of the real reason for Jason's joy.

Annie started crying, and then she ran off, not picking up her groceries; she was just too upset with Jason at the moment to think.

"Then it's settled! I'll take the ring!" Jason said, as the clerk took the ring off of her finger, and then she put it in the box that it came with.

Wrapping it up, the clerk gave the ring to Jason, and Jason smiled; the clerk said, "Good luck."

"Thank you." Jason said, but then he gasped when he saw Annie's groceries on the ground. He knew it was Annie's because of the design of the bags she used.

"No… Annie!" Jason said, in distress. _'She must have seen me in the store… And if I know one thing, I know exactly what's about to happen. I gotta clear this up before it happens!'_

Jason dashed off after Annie to try clearing everything up. Sadly, that was not about to happen any time soon.

* * *

A few hours later, Annie had closed the restaurant, locked her doors, and was sobbing loudly while in her bedroom.

"How could Jason do this to me?!" Annie asked, sobbing aloud. "What happened to that talk about proposing to me all that time ago?!"

She heard banging on the doors; looking out the window, she saw Jason banging on the door to try and get Annie to come outside.

"Annie! Come on! Please, let me in! We have to talk!" Jason said.

"Leave me alone! We have nothing to talk about!" Annie shouted, before shutting the window and continuing to sob loudly.

"Oh, man, I blew it…" Jason said, sighing sadly. "I should have been more careful where I got the ring; had it been in an area where Annie normally doesn't go for her groceries, this wouldn't have happened."

"Jason?" Blossom said, from behind, and Jason turned around to see Blossom and the girls.

"Oh, Blossom," Jason said. "Perfect timing!"

"Annie never closes at this time," Buttercup said. "What happened?"

"Long story short, I was trying to get the right ring for Annie." Jason said.

"_RING?!" _The girls said, out loud.

"Shhh!" Jason hushed, putting a finger to his lips. "Don't tell Annie I'm planning on popping the question! It's supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh, really?" Bridgette sarcastically muttered.

"Was there anything else?" Blossom asked.

"She saw me working with the clerk to get the ring, and I think she misunderstood the scene." Jason said.

"Uh-oh…" Buttercup said.

"Okay, we have _your _viewpoint on this matter," Bridgette said, a little heatedly. "Now let's see what _really_ happened."

The girls knocked loudly on the door of the restaurant, and Blossom shouted, "Annie! It's Blossom and company! Can we come in?"

Annie ran down the stairs, opened the door, and let the girls in. Jason tried to come in, but she slammed the door in his face; he sighed sadly and sank to his knees.

"Annie, what happened?" Blossom asked, as she and the girls went to console Annie.

Annie was still crying her eyes out from a broken heart, but she felt no better. After sniveling for a few more seconds, Annie said, "I s-saw J-Jason proposing to a worker in the ring store! He b-betrayed me!"

The girls did not really react to Annie's explanation, but Bridgette said, "Are you _sure_ that's what it was?"

Annie nodded, while still crying in her hands; Bridgette sighed, and said, "Did you hear what they were talking about, while they were in the store?"

Annie shook her head this time, causing the girls to look at Annie in confusion.

"So you're just jumping to conclusions." Bubbles said.

"But Jason… He…" Annie managed to choke out before crying again.

"Annie, we know you're hurting, but you need to trust Jason. I'm sure that what you saw wasn't what you thought it was." Buttercup said, in Jason's defense.

Hearing all of this, Bridgette finally snapped; a vein was throbbing in her forehead and she just lost it.

"And how do you know he isn't lying?!" Bridgette said, catching the girls off-guard.

"What are you talking about, Bridgette?" Blossom asked.

"He could be lying to her about this whole thing for all we know! Things could have been _exactly_ what they seemed at the jewelry store! It could have been all lies about popping the question! I'm almost certain!" Bridgette said.

"Bridgette, we're getting tired of this," Bubbles said. "This is just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding, my foot! At least this is just emotional hurt; it could have been much worse!" Bridgette said, getting angry.

"Bridgette, stop spouting off anger like this," Blossom said. "Annie is hurt; we need to help her heal so Jason can clear up this mishap."

"But Jason was the one who caused this in the first place! _ALL _boys are like that! Liars, bullies, etc…_ Just be happy that Jason didn't physically hurt Annie the way MY first boyfriend hurt __**ME!**_" Bridgette shouted, tears streaming down her face.

However, she covered her mouth with a gasp; her secret was out.

"Bridgette…? What did you just say?" Buttercup asked.

Annie was not paying attention to the girls at this point; she was too sad about Jason possibly lying to her.

"You heard what I said: 'Just be happy that Jason didn't physically hurt Annie the way MY first boyfriend hurt _ME_'…" Bridgette said, turning her face away from her friends.

"You had a boyfriend, too?" Blossom asked.

"If you _can_ call him that, but yes," Bridgette said. "The vermin he was…"

"How bad was it?" Bubbles asked.

"I may have no physical scars, but my attitude towards romance as a whole pretty much answers the question," Bridgette said, with a sad sigh and tears rolling down her face. "He was horrible to me. Always hanging around with his gang when he and I should have been on a date. Ditching me at the last minute for a tagging session with his buddies. He would walk out on me whenever he got bored; his behavior in restaurants would get us kicked out. I can't believe I ever had a phase where I liked bad boys!"

Bridgette started crying, and she felt really embarrassed to break down in front of her friends.

"That's pretty mean of him to just leave you hanging all of the time," Blossom said. "But why are you so broken about it?"

"He would often slap, kick, or punch me whenever I spoke up against him," Bridgette said, as tears were falling down her face very quickly. "And whenever I tried to break up with him, he would threaten me into staying with him."

"That sounds awful!" Bubbles said, trying to sympathize with Bridgette.

"I've been broken ever since. I squealed on him to the police and now he's in juve. Let's hope he stays there for a long time," Bridgette said. "After that, I vowed never to fall in love again. Not until I had the legal and emotional means to defend myself."

"So that's why you're so against Luke and Ricardo," Buttercup said. "You're afraid of that happening to us."

"Exactly," Bridgette said. "I'll be darned if there _is_ a boy out there who is meant to be my so-called "prince charming"."

The girls looked at each other in shame, as they had no idea Bridgette went through something that horrid.

"Back to Annie," Blossom said, trying to change the subject. "This entire situation is nothing more than a misunderstanding."

"So what?" Annie said, crying. "I don't care anymore! If Jason wants to spend his life with someone else, I… I won't stop him… But…"

"But…?" Bubbles asked, wondering how Annie was going to finish up.

"But I might not recover from this! So much for him proposing…" Annie said, before beginning to bawl once again.

The girls sighed sadly, and they left the building, before talking to Jason.

"How did it go?" Jason asked.

"You had it right," Buttercup said, crossing her arms. "She thinks you two-timed on her and proposed to someone else."

"That's what I thought…" Jason said, sadly. "I have to clear up this misunderstanding and fast! I'd better wait until she calms down a bit more…"

"You'd better hurry up, then." Bridgette said, with a bitter tone.

"Thanks, girls," Jason said. "You've been a big help."

Jason looked up to the building, while still hearing Annie's sobs.

* * *

As the girls were walking back to the lab after checking up on Annie, they were talking about what had happened.

"So, Jason was planning on asking Annie for her hand in marriage, but she caught him at the ring store and now she's under the impression that he is going out with another woman behind her back." Blossom summarized.

"That sounds about right," Bridgette said. "I just hope things don't take a turn for the worse, or my point will be proven."

"Bridgette, we just thought you were a hater of romance," Bubbles said. "We never thought that you had been through something that terrible."

"You wouldn't," Bridgette said. "But it's okay; you never would have known unless I said something."

"I just hope Annie doesn't put on any lipstick…" Bubbles said, as she grew worried.

"Lipstick? What's lipstick got to do with anything?" Bridgette asked.

"Okay…" Blossom said, as she then started to explain what would happen in the event Annie would put on makeup.

Back with Annie, she had managed to stop crying and she was now glaring at the mirror; she remembered how pretty the clerk in the shop was.

"So, he likes beautiful girls, does he?" Annie said, bitterly; she took out the Pink Jaguar lipstick that Jason had given her. "So, I'll become more beautiful! Then I'll show him who he threw away!"

Annie gently put the lipstick on, but once she did, she triggered a transformation.

Her eyes widened and became yellow; her hair broke out of their braids, turned into a blackish-green color, and became a hairstyle that looked like she had tentacles or something. Her waist shrunk quite a bit, her lips turned red, a red snake coiled around her neck, her breasts became bigger, and her face became paler. She was wearing a dress that did not have any sleeves, but the gloves were brown with gold accents, the dress was purple with gold, and the waist's design was like a corset-design, but with gold and black. Her shoes were red heels and overall, Annie looked _very different_; not even like herself at all.

"I'll show Jason… I'll show everyone! I'm going to make all of the rings in the city mine! He won't be proposing to _anyone!_" Sedusa said, her voice now a lot deeper and more mature.

She leaped out of the window and started to run towards a jewelry shop.

Jason, meanwhile, was still sulking outside the restaurant and was worrying over how he was going to be able to pop the question to Annie after the whole mess began.

Sedusa ran right by him, while shoving Jason aside; seeing Annie in her alter ego, Jason looked on in shock, as he then said, "I was afraid of this…"

Sedusa took out some lipstick; she altered her appearance to look like one of the customers, and then she walked into the store to start stealing the rings.

Jason saw this, and he said, "No!"

Back at the lab…

"_WHAT?!"_ Bridgette shouted, after hearing whatthe girls said. "You mean to tell me that Annie turns into a monster whenever she puts on makeup?! Just like when Princess's cat Sapphire screams, Princess becomes a monster?!"

Everyone was having tea as they discussed Annie's problem; Cody had decided to go hang out with Luke and Ricardo in the park, so he was not there with the girls that time around.

"That's right," Blossom said. "And just like Princess, the only way for Annie to turn back into normal is for us to catch her and turn her back to normal here at the lab; that, and she can never remember anything between changes."

"Great, just great!" Bridgette said, getting stressed out. "So if Annie is worried about her relationship with Jason, she puts on makeup, but that makeup triggers her change into a monster! Just what we need!"

"Calm down, Bridgette," Bubbles said. "If Jason can clear things up before Annie puts on makeup, we won't have any problems."

Poochi started reacting again; he was barking and jumping up and down all over the room.

"Poochi, what's the matter?" Blossom asked.

"It's Sedusa!" Poochi asked. "She's robbing jewelry shops! Lots of them! And they all seem to sell high-end engagement rings!"

"Spoke too soon, huh, Bubbles?" Bridgette asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"I guess so…" Bubbles said, while laughing sheepishly.

Poochi immediately sounded the call: _"PowerPuff Girls, we need you!"_

The girls then raised up their hands, and their rings formed.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

"Ready, girls?" Blossom asked, turning to her friends.

"Let's go!" Buttercup said.

The girls flew out the window to stop Sedusa.

* * *

The girls made it to the scene and saw Sedusa, in disguise, stealing all of the rings and putting them into a bag.

"Hahahaha! All of the rings in the city are going to be mine! First this store, then another one! Jason won't be getting engaged anytime soon! Hahaha!" Sedusa cackled, in the voice of the person that her disguise matched.

"That's Sedusa? She looks like a normal woman to me." Bridgette asked.

"Like we said: she's a mistress of disguise!" Blossom said.

The girls were watching as Sedusa was stealing rings from every display case; she tied everyone up in the store and she used her hair to snatch all of the rings in large swoops and she dropped them all into the sack she had.

"Hahahahaha!" Sedusa said, as she smiled evilly.

"Annie! Stop this! Please!" Jason shouted, as he tried to stop Sedusa from stealing the rings.

"Why should I listen to you?!" Sedusa said. "You're the one who caused me to do this!"

"I was only trying to get the right ring!" Jason said, as he tried to approach Sedusa.

"Oh, is that so?! Tell that to the girl you proposed to!" Sedusa shouted, before using her hair to knock Jason away and onto the ground.

"Jason!" Buttercup shouted.

Jason stood up and he soon saw the girls up in the air; he turned to the girls and shouted, "Please! You girls have to stop Annie!"

"Don't worry; we'll take… Down… WHAT?!" Bridgette shouted, realizing Jason had called Sedusa by the name 'Annie'.

The girls sweat dropped as they sheepishly started laughing.

"Jason knows that Annie is Sedusa?!" Bridgette asked, frantically.

The girls merely nodded.

"Is there anything _else_ that you girls keep me in the dark about?!" Bridgette asked, getting really angry with her friends.

The girls chuckled sheepishly, but then Sedusa interrupted them by shouting, "So, you girls have gone from three to four, I see! No matter!"

Sedusa dropped the rings and shot her hair tentacles at the girls; Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup managed to fly out of the way, but Bridgette was knocked out of the air and she was pushed into a wall by one of the hair tentacles.

"AH!" Bridgette shouted.

"Bridgette!" Blossom shouted, out of concern of Bridgette.

Bridgette was dizzy as she was hit, but she got up and rubbed her head in pain. She growled a little bit, and she flew back up.

"You okay?" Buttercup asked.

"Just in disbelief that this witch and that sweetheart Annie are one and the same." Bridgette said.

"I had a hard time comprehending it when I first found out, too…" Jason said. "Whenever Annie feels upset and unloved by me, she puts on makeup and turns into Sedusa. It's been a long time since she transformed."

"Then we need to turn her back to normal," Bubbles said. "And fast!"

"Ready?" Blossom asked her friends.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Blossom!" Bridgette said, as she held out her swords.

"I'll take this!" Buttercup shouted.

She got her hammer out and flew down to confront Sedusa, but she jumped up, and did a roundhouse kick to Buttercup; she blocked Sedusa's kick with her hammer.

"_Seismic Drive!"_ Buttercup shouted, as she swung her hammer. Buttercup managed to hit Sedusa in the stomach and knocked her back a few meters.

"You girls have gotten better," Sedusa said, and then she used her tentacles to grab Blossom. "But not good enough to take me down!"

"I wouldn't be too sure!" Bubbles said, still smiling. _"Bursting Bubbles!"_

Bubbles fired some bubbles from her wand at Sedusa, but she used her hair to pop them all; she grabbed Bubbles and threw her into Bridgette, causing both of them to fall down.

"You okay, Bridgette?" Bubbles asked.

"I'm fine; let's cut that hair of hers!" Bridgette said, as she flew up into the air, and drew her swords.

"_Yo-yo Attack!"_ Blossom shouted, as she attempted to tie Sedusa up, only for her to jump, dodge, and kick the yo-yo out of Blossom's hand.

"Hey!" Blossom shouted, only for Sedusa to grab her with her hair and throw Blossom on the ground.

"Blossom!" Bridgette said. "Look, Sedusa, I get you're going through a broken heart! I know _exactly_ how you feel! I _totally_ understand!"

"Bridgette, what are you doing?!" Buttercup asked.

"Getting Sedusa to come to her senses and get her to relax." Bridgette said.

She put her swords back, landed on the ground in front of Sedusa, and then she put a hand on one of her shoulders.

Bridgette started to sing, _"I understand… the pain of heartbreak. I know the pain of being hurt and mistreated, for pity's sake. I know exactly what you're going through… But things aren't always what they seem; that much is true! Just calm down and we'll work it through!"_

Sedusa did not seem to listen and she used her hair tentacles to ensnare Bridgette. Bridgette merely sighed, and she managed to draw one of her swords. By cutting it, she freed herself and shouted, "Girls! Knock her out!"

"You got it!" Blossom said.

While Sedusa's guard was down from having her hair cut by Bridgette's swords, Blossom tied Sedusa up before Buttercup slammed her hammer atop her head.

Jason cringed at the sight of this as Sedusa was out cold.

"Please change her back to normal! I really need to talk to Annie!" Jason said.

"Don't worry about it." Blossom said, with a smile.

The girls, and Jason, were at the lab, and the Professor, Ken, and Poochi were using the transformation beam to change Sedusa, who was still out cold, back into Annie.

"Good, that's that," Bridgette said, crossing her arms, and sighing in relief. "Jason, can we rely on you to get Annie back to the restaurant?"

"Leave it to me," Jason said, with a smile; he picked Annie up, bridal style. "I know I can make everything right."

"I hope so…" Blossom said.

Jason then left the lab, carrying Annie in his arms, and he smiled warmly, knowing Annie would wake up, but not remember anything that had happened when she as Sedusa.

"Now let's hope that those two can kiss and make up after that little fiasco." Buttercup said.

* * *

Later, at the restaurant, Annie was lying on the counter, still asleep. Jason was sitting beside her, waiting for Annie to wake up.

Annie groaned a little bit as she woke up. Annie sat up, and she rubbed her head, while asking out loud, "What happened?"

"Annie, you're awake! Thank heavens." Jason said, in relief.

What neither Annie, nor Jason knew, was that Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Bridgette were outside the restaurant, watching the scene unfold.

"Do you think he's going to ask?" Blossom asked Bubbles, quietly.

"I hope so; the Professor put a microscopic inhibitor on the ring; this way Annie won't transform when she puts on makeup anymore," Bubbles replied. "What do you think, Buttercup?"

"I honestly want to puke right now, but I hope that Jason hurries up and pops the question." Buttercup said, but she shuddered after this.

"Either way, happy endings are never guaranteed," Bridgette said, adding some realism to the mix. "That's something you need to make a reality on your own."

Annie looked at Jason, seeing him happy, but she then got upset, crossed her arms, and turned away, asking Jason, "What do _you_ want, traitor?"

"You think I betrayed you? Why would I do that?" Jason asked, genuinely.

"I saw you in that jewelry store, proposing to the clerk." Annie said, about to cry again.

"I wasn't popping the question to the clerk, silly," Jason said, with a light chuckle. "I was only ring shopping."

"Oh, and I suppose the ring was for another girl?" Annie asked, a little upset.

"Well… Yes and no." Jason said.

"What are you talking about?" Annie asked, confused.

He took the box out of his pocket, which was wrapped up; he took the wrapping off, and he, now both confident and nervous at the same time, got down on one of his knees.

The girls leaned in a little closer, hoping to see and hear Jason ask those four words to Annie.

Annie knew where this pattern was going; either way, she wanted to know what Jason was going to say to her.

Jason opened the ring box, and it revealed the same diamond ring he bought earlier.

"Annie… I don't want you to be worried about our love for each other anymore. I want to be able to make and keep you confident in our relationship," Jason said, as his eyes became passionate and determined. "So…"

The girls decided to listen a little closer to the banter between Annie and Jason, hoping Annie was going to say yes.

"Will… you marry me?" Jason asked, finally saying the words he wanted to ask Annie for a long time.

Annie started crying tears of joy as she heard Jason ask her; happily, she hugged Jason while saying, "Yes! Yes, I will!"

Jason and Annie were hugging happily together, and Jason slipped her engagement ring on to Annie's finger. Both were rocking together and were smiling, spilling tears of joy.

Blossom and Bubbles were also crying tears of joy; Buttercup was looking at the scene with a smile; Bridgette only looked on in mild indifference.

Bridgette then smiled calmly while thinking out loud, "Maybe happy endings _do_ exist…"

"What was that, Bridgette?" Blossom asked.

"Forget it," Bridgette said. "Let's go; those two need some time alone, don't you think?"

"She's right," Bubbles said. "Let's go back to the lab and have some of Bridgette's cookies!"

The girls started laughing, as Jason and Annie were hugging, knowing they were getting married.

* * *

**Happy ending! Yay! And now you know why Bridgette is so adverse to romance! Let's just hope that can be turned around, and soon. Who knows? Her prince charming may come soon…**

**Next time…**

**Blossom: YAY! We're going to be bodyguards to Johnny Cosmo again!**

**Bridgette: Johnny **_**who **_**now?" **

**Buttercup: Johnny Cosmo; he's a really lame superhero that Blossom is just bonkers over.**

**Bubbles: He's supposedly one of the world's best superheroes, but he's really a cowardly flirt.**

**Bridgette: Jeez… I'd rather judge a baking competition than hang around this phony; I would even tell him that to his face.**

**Buttercup: Forget that; Luke doesn't seem too happy…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Problems arise in regards to Luke's temper when he finds Blossom going gaga over one of her favorite superheroes: Johnny Cosmo! To make matters worse, he's still in the dark about the girls' superpowers, so he hasn't a clue as to why Blossom is acting the way she is. The simple answer is that the girls are going to playing bodyguards to Johnny Cosmo again, but this time, with Bridgette with them. With Johnny trying to make himself look good for the movie, and Bridgette openly telling him off about him being a phony, let's just say that's a recipe for trouble… Trouble for Johnny, that is.**

* * *

_Johnny Cosmo? More Like Johnny Lame-o…_

Blossom was at the lab, watching one of her favorite super hero shows: The Adventures of Johnny Cosmo.

Johnny had just used his signature move, The Blinding Sunshine Super Kick, on a monster that had taken a young lady hostage. The monster was taken down and he was out cold. Johnny, meanwhile, had caught the lady and he was carrying her bridal style. Apparently, it was a typical scenario for Johnny Cosmo episodes.

Johnny had green hair and was wearing a mask, which was red, and had something that looked like white and green headphones over his ears. His sleeves were somewhat pointed upwards, and they were navy blue, just like his gloves. He was wearing a yellow shirt with a white midsection and matching, white, and he had a yellow belt with a red buckle and a red 'A' on it. His boots were also navy blue. Johnny also had a red cape on.

"Oh, Johnny! You're the coolest ever!" Blossom said, as she started munching some potato chips from the laboratory. She also had hearts in her eyes as she kept watching more of Johnny's show.

Bridgette came by with a plate of cookies, and set them down next to Blossom, while asking her, "Hey, Blossom, want some cookies?"

Blossom merely took up a cookie and ate it, as she kept watching the TV; she then said, "Thanks, Bridgette! Great cookies!"

"You're distracted…" Bridgette said, before noticing the show Blossom was watching. "What is this show?"

"It's The Adventures of Johnny Cosmo!" Blossom said, hearts in her eyes, while still eating the cookies. "He's one of the world's best superheroes!"

"Really?" Bridgette said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow in confusion. "If he was, I certainly would have heard of him at least once. I haven't heard of him _at all_."

"You haven't?!" Blossom asked, incredulous, as she stood up in shock. "How can you have _NOT_ heard of Johnny Cosmo?!"

"You know me," Bridgette said, with a shrug. "I only pay attention to cooking shows. It's just my style; you like your superheroes, _I_ like my pastry chefs. It's that simple."

Buttercup and Bubbles then came into the room; Buttercup asked, "What's all the commotion in here about?"

"Bridgette has _never heard_ of Johnny Cosmo! How is this even possible?!" Blossom said, really shocked about the news; she sat back down on the couch in surprise and shock, but continued to watch the show.

"You _still_ like that loser?" Buttercup asked, crossing her arms; she was _not_ impressed. "After how he acted that one time when he was Mayor for a day?"

Bridgette became intrigued by Buttercup's comment; she raised an eyebrow in confusion and crossed her arms.

"He's the best!" Blossom said, as she went back to watching the show; stars were flying around her head, as her eyes became hearts. "The world's greatest superhero!"

"Don't talk nonsense! The world's greatest heroines are the four of _us!_" Bridgette said, in protest.

"I'm agreeing with Bridgette here; we're a million times better than he is!" Buttercup said.

"I actually think the proper way to say that is that we're better than Mr. Cosmo by a factor of one million _cubed_." Bubbles said, albeit she was trying to be polite on the issue.

"Nice!" Bridgette said, giving her buddies a thumb's up.

Blossom did not seem to be listening to her friends; she was still focused on the television, and the girls just looked at Blossom in mild bemusement. Blossom continued to sigh and swoon at Johnny Cosmo's "exploits", but all it looked like to the others was something very boring.

"Why is Blossom so obsessed with this so-called "super hero", if you say that he's such a loser?" Bridgette asked Buttercup, very confused about her buddy's behavior.

"You know Blossom; she loves superheroes, even though she's one, herself." Buttercup said, with a shrug.

"We'll tell you about our first time meeting him later," Bubbles said. "For now, we should try and convince Blossom to change the channel."

"I think convincing Blossom to change the channel to something different is about as likely to happen as Mao Zedong letting people get a _real_ education instead of sending them to the re-education camps that he had: it's not likely to happen at all; we'll never be able to get Blossom away from the TV long enough for us to watch something that we would want." Bridgette said, with a shrug.

"I've seen her on some of her superhero kicks, but none of them were like this," Buttercup said. "I wonder what's gotten into her today…? Maybe she ate too many snacks and sweets?"

However, Buttercup soon got her answer: the show went on break, and an advertisement came up.

Johnny Cosmo was doing some kicks, punches, and unleashing super moves on various super villains in his rogues' gallery.

'_He's taken down villain after villain!'_

The ad showed Johnny Cosmo running up a long flight of spiraled stairs.

'_He's done the impossible!'_

He leaped up and snagged a large, golden key, and he tumbled a bit before raising the key up into the air.

'_And now Johnny Cosmo is about to face his worst enemy…'_

Out of nowhere, Johnny's green eyes turned red, his victorious smile became vile, and then as the key started glowing red, he started cackling maniacally. He then blasted the villains that he took down with the evil key. He then held it closer to his face, and cackled again, feeling really evil, yet really happy that he finally finished off the villains once and for all, albeit he had no idea that he had become one, himself.

'_HIMSELF!' _

Several scenes of him were played. He was being beaten up by other heroes; a few female heroines from other series taking him down; Johnny constructing a machine while holding onto the evil key that had put its spell on him; a girl in distress screaming for Johnny to snap out of his evil trance. Another scene depicted Johnny reeling in pain from his inner evil and inner good clashing with one another.

'_Join Johnny Cosmo in his most complicated battle yet: a battle within himself! Can he keep himself from losing to the dark side before the sinister key corrupts him permanently?' _

Johnny's inner good was trapped within his heart; he was struggling and straining to get himself free, while his evil side kept him trapped. The good Johnny was yanking on the chains to break them. It seemed that the evil Johnny was taunting the good Johnny, as well.

Soon, a logo for a movie came up on screen, and the voiceover said, _'Coming soon… 'Johnny Cosmo The Movie: Internal Battle'! In theaters within three months…'_

"Sigh… I can't wait three months for the movie to come out!" Blossom said, as she fainted onto the couch, while hearts were emanating from her head and eyes. The girls were just looking at Blossom in surprise of this sudden behavior swing.

"Ugh…" Buttercup said, groaning at her friend, while crossing her arms. "How is Luke going to take this, though…"

* * *

The next day at school, the girls, minus Bridgette, were with their boyfriends, in different parts of the school.

As usual, Bubbles and Cody were on a bench out in the courtyard of the school, blowing Bubbles; Cody, as always, was the envy of every boy in school where Bubbles was concerned. Cody wrapped an arm around Bubbles' shoulder; one of the reasons was to spite his so-called 'rivals' and because he wanted some more attention from Bubbles. Bubbles blushed at this and she giggled.

Buttercup and Ricardo were on the school soccer field, playing soccer with each other. Ricardo scored a few goals, while Buttercup managed to get a few past him. But overall, it was apparent that Ricardo was the first one to match Buttercup in soccer. However, Ricardo was a good sport, as he gave Buttercup a nice massage to help her legs relax after her muscles got a good workout on the field.

Bridgette was at the library of the school, looking in the food section of the library. She found a large baking book that had a variety of baking techniques and designs. She smiled, and found a few more books before sitting at a table and giggling as she began to read the books, while taking notes on which design techniques to try out first.

Back with Blossom and Luke, they were in the classroom.

"Oh, my gosh, Luke!" Blossom said, hearts flying around her, as she talked to her boyfriend. "The new Johnny Cosmo movie is going to be a hit! I just know it! Johnny's fought a lot of monsters in the show's time, but having to fight his inner demons is just genius!"

Luke was visibly annoyed and bored by all of the 'Johnny Cosmo this' and 'Johnny Cosmo that'. He tried to do social fakes, something that would make it seem like he was actually interested, but he was not fooling anyone, especially not himself: he was bored of the talk.

"I knew the producers of the show would come up with a plotline as intense and cool as something like that!" Blossom said, hearts in her eyes.

Luke grit his teeth, growled, and then he slammed his hands on the desk, scaring Blossom; she recoiled back a little bit, worried Luke was about to lash out at her. However, Luke only took a really deep breath and calmed himself down.

"L-L-Luke?! Wh-Wh-What's the problem?!" Blossom asked, a little scared.

Luke gently sat down, and he told Blossom, "I'm sorry; I'm just getting tired of hearing all about Johnny Cosmo. It's making me jealous. You're starting to sound like you have a crush on the guy."

"Oh…" Blossom said, looking down to the floor. She decided to change the subject, but what to change the subject to was something she had yet to figure out.

"So… Have you tasted Bridgette's chocolate Croissants? They're amazing!" Blossom said, changing the subject to Bridgette's sweets.

"Yeah, I have," Luke said, feeling better that the subject was something else. "They're just perfect; it's almost as if they were made in an actual bakery."

However, there was a commotion outside; Luke and Blossom went outside the classroom to see a large poster promoting the new Johnny Cosmo movie.

"Look at what's near the bottom corner of the poster," Luke said. "It says "special appearance by the PowerPuff Girls Z". That's so weird; the PowerPuff Girls are strictly superheroes."

'_That's strange; the Professor never told us about this!' _Blossom thought. "Speaking of whom, aren't the PowerPuff Girls amazing?"

"Yeah, but they can't hold a candle to you, Blossom." Luke said, as he put a kiss on Blossom's cheek; she blushed at this and smiled with a giggle.

Later, the girls were in the classroom, talking about the poster on the wall outside. They had no idea they were meant to play a role in the movie.

"Us? Having a role in a movie?" Bridgette said. "I don't mind being on the screen as the PowerPuff Girls, but I would rather be a guest judge on a baking competition show than this."

"I was asked to present the Championship trophy to the winning team of a soccer game between the Citiesville Colts and the New Townsville Titans once," Buttercup said. "Would have been better is it didn't go off without a hitch."

"Right; the Gangreen Gang tried attacking you at the match, didn't they, Buttercup?" Bubbles asked.

"That's right." Blossom said.

Just as the girls were about to get farther into their conversation, their teacher came in, and the girls went back to their assigned seats.

* * *

Later, at the lab…

"Professor, the posters at school said something about the PowerPuff Girls playing a role in the movie? What's that about?" Bubbles asked.

Just then, the Mayor came up on the screen of the videophone, and he shouted, "PowerPuff Girls!"

"Mayor, sir, what's the problem?" The Professor asked.

"This is regarding the new Johnny Cosmo movie! The posters said that The PowerPuff Girls are going to be playing a role!" The Mayor said. "With the set on such an open area, there are bound to be monsters trying to force themselves on set to either hurt Johnny or get into the movie! That's where the PowerPuff Girls come in!"

"You mean to tell us that we need to play bodyguard? _Again!?_" Buttercup asked, getting angry.

"And I thought we were going to be teaming up with Johnny, too…" Blossom complained.

"Wait, what do you mean _again_, Buttercup? This happened before?" Bridgette asked.

"Oh, right, you weren't there at the time," Buttercup said. "Long story short, when Johnny Cosmo was elected for the "Mayor For A Day" event we had a few years ago, Mojo Jojo threatened to attack Johnny; he was under the impression that it was a permanent job, not for just one day. So, as a result of Mojo's threat, the three of us had to play bodyguard for him. Unfortunately, Johnny turned out to be a complete coward as well as a wimp, so we had to save _him_ rather than the other way around. Just another way we proved ourselves to be the better superheroes."

"And Blossom is _still_ a fan of his?" Bridgette asked, as she sweat dropped at this information; Buttercup and Bubbles nodded at this question, while Blossom had hearts in her eyes with her dream of meeting Johnny Cosmo coming true once again.

"There goes my date with Cody tomorrow… And I was looking forward to it, too." Bubbles said; she felt really sad that she had to cancel her date with Cody for another day.

"I'm sure Cody will understand," Blossom said. "It's Luke and Ricardo I'm worried about; we haven't told them we're the PowerPuff Girls…"

"Nor _should_ we, Blossom," Bridgette said, in reprimand. "We can't have too many people in on the secret, or it could blow our cover as a whole; we can't take chances."

"Back to the matter at hand," Ms. Bellum said. "We need to make sure that none of the production is interrupted. If something should go wrong, then you girls will need to step in and that's when you'll most likely be on screen."

"So _that's_ what they meant…" Bridgette said. "I am _not_ looking forward to this…"

* * *

The next day, Cody, Luke, and Ricardo were at the park; they were bummed out that the girls had to change their plans.

"Damnit!" Ricardo said, as he slammed his fist on the arm of the bench. "Why did the girls have to be asked to go on a last-minute field project?!"

"Watch it with your language, Ricardo," Luke said; he and Ricardo had been acquainted through Blossom. "We can't help it that the Professor needs their help. Sometimes, their work comes first; I'm sure you can understand that."

Cody internally sweat dropped, as he was drinking some water that he had packed. Bubbles had informed Cody of the situation with Johnny Cosmo. Cody was very understanding, so he came up with a really good alibi for the girls. Cody had lied to Luke and Ricardo that the girls had to go out with the Professor to do a field project at the last minute. Cody felt horrible about lying to his friends, but he knew that it was for their own good; the girls' own good, too.

"It is a real bummer…" Cody said, albeit part of him wanted to be honest with his friends and say that Bubbles and the other girls were on a mission to help Johnny Cosmo's movie get filmed without a hitch.

"I'm sure the girls can reschedule," Luke said. "I was thinking that once it came out, maybe I could take Blossom to the new Johnny Cosmo movie. I'm thinking that will serve two purposes: one, it will give me and Blossom an opportunity for another date, and two: probably get her to shut up about Johnny Cosmo."

"Are you getting jealous of a phony hero, Luke?" Ricardo teased, as he nudged Luke with his elbow.

"N-No, I'm not!" Luke lied, as his face turned red, and he chugged down the rest of his water.

Ricardo and Cody chuckled as they could read Luke's face really well; Luke was, without a doubt, jealous of Johnny Cosmo, a superhero that currently had Blossom's attention. Luke had a face on that said he did not care, but the redness in his cheeks said otherwise.

'_I'd better be careful,' _Cody thought, as he thought about his girlfriend's secret. _'I've been trusted with the girls' secret for over two years; I can't let them down, now. If they want to tell Luke and Ricardo their secret about being The PowerPuff Girls, they'll tell them. If not, I made a promise to keep quiet, so I __will__ keep my mouth shut.'_

"Cody? Are you okay?" Ricardo asked, noticing Cody was spacing out.

"Oh, I'm fine," Cody said, as he came back down to earth. "Just wondering what Bubbles and I are going to do for our next date; because this one was postponed, I'm trying to think about what else to do."

"I'm thinking Buttercup and I can have another soccer match in the newest park that was built." Ricardo said.

"Great idea!" Cody said, as he smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls were at the filming site with Johnny Cosmo and the film crew, in another part of the city.

"Hello!" Johnny Cosmo said, as he approached the girls with enthusiasm and cheer. "Thank you for coming to _my_ movie filming! I know you're only here as spectators and my bodyguards, but I hope you'll enjoy the world's greatest superhero in action! Even if it _is_ only acting!"

"_THAT'S_ Johnny Cosmo?" Bridgette asked Bubbles, as Johnny flexed his muscles to try impressing the girls.

Bubbles nodded while keeping her mouth shut, as she tried to be polite.

"Isn't he the greatest?!" Blossom said, hearts in her eyes, as she saw Johnny film the scene where he grabs hold of the key that would ultimately corrupt him and set the rest of the plot rolling.

Johnny recited his lines, and as he grabbed the key, he stood on top of the set, while the fan was cued, and he raised the key up, holding it with both of his hands.

"Yes…! I have it! The Key of Absolution!" Johnny said, as he looked at the key with awe and a large smile.

However, a few seconds, he started groaning and screaming as he moved his body, as if he was trying to shake off some emotions. Johnny Cosmo screamed, and he kept moving around, as if he were in pain.

"GGGRAAAAAAHHH!" Johnny hollered, as he got a little _too_ into character. Johnny stood up, and then he chuckled sinisterly, as his face became evil, and he smirked.

"He's actually doing really well." Buttercup said, impressed with Johnny's acting.

"There are times where actors get _so_ into character that it's almost as if they _think_ they're the role they're playing…" Bridgette muttered, as she ate a cream horn.

Bridgette spat the piece she ate out, and wiped her mouth with a napkin while saying, "Yuck! These cream horns were made with store-bought puff pastry dough, weren't they?"

She tossed the cream horn into the trash while she said, pretty loudly, "The pastries here are just as phony as Johnny Cosmo!"

Hearing this, Johnny did a spit take, turned to Bridgette, and angrily approached her.

"Uh-oh… Bridgette, I think you ticked him off." Blossom said.

"So what if I did?" Bridgette said, as she crossed her arms, as Johnny made it towards her.

"Are you calling _me_ a phony?!" Johnny asked, in an accusing tone of voice.

"Yes, I am," Bridgette said. "The others told me about the time they had to babysit you the last time. A coward and a wimp, that's what they called you. Blossom is still a fan, but while you're great at acting, that's all I see: an actor, not a superhero."

A wooden ladder started to fall down, headed straight for Johnny and Bridgette.

"_BRIDGETTE!"_ Bubbles and Buttercup shouted, while Blossom shouted, _"JOHNNY!"_

Johnny, seeing the ladder, panicked and ran away in fright. Bridgette sighed, aggravated, and just caught the ladder with her hand. She turned and saw Johnny cowering underneath one of the set props, and she shook her head.

Putting the ladder back up, Bridgette said, "See my point? You're just an actor, you're _not_ a hero."

"I was only demonstrating my speed and reflexes," Johnny said, trying to deny his cowardice. "As well as my knowledge of where to best take cover."

"Really, now? Because that _really_ looked like cowardice to me." Bridgette said, looking at her fingernails, suddenly interested in them.

"Okay, okay, now let's get back to filming!" The director said, as everyone went back to their posts, and the girls went back to their chairs, waiting for trouble.

"I can't believe you called Johnny out on that," Buttercup said. "_I'm_ not even that outspoken."

"I tell it like it is." Bridgette simply said, as she ate some of the baked goods that she brought to the set herself.

"Wow, Bridgette, these raspberry turnovers you made are great! I love the sanding sugar you used; nice textural balance." Bubbles commented.

"Thanks; being a good pastry chef is like being a good handyman or handywoman," Bridgette said. "You need to keep up to date, have the tools of the trade, every trick up your sleeve, every tool in the box."

"Versatility." Blossom said, as she was gazing at Johnny with hearts in her eyes, like any fan.

"Blossom doesn't seem to be convinced, yet…" Bubbles said, watching Blossom in her state of mind.

"I wish we were watching a soccer game right now…" Buttercup complained, while munching on a turnover.

"Who wants to watch soccer when they can see _ME_, Johnny Cosmo, defeat the bad guy and save the world?" Johnny said, as he was on set, ready for the next scene.

The girls, minus Blossom, were _not_ impressed by his comment, but they just groaned in aggravation rather than letting their feelings show; Bridgette, however, was more outspoken on the issue, and she was willing to let her feelings out, right then and there.

"Not me, certainly…" Bridgette said, and she meant it; she just ate another turnover.

"I would much rather see Johnny Cosmo in _more_ than one piece, honestly." One of the crewmembers said, as he then shed his disguise and revealed himself to be Mojo Jojo.

Mojo Jojo attacked Johnny Cosmo and Johnny, being the coward he was, ran for cover, while being chased by Mojo Jojo. Mojo was chasing Johnny all over the set, while everyone else was running around, scared that Mojo had made it on the set.

"I thought there was a dark aura around that guy! We'd better be the bodyguards we were asked to be, girls!" Blossom said, determined not to let anyone or anything hurt Johnny.

"_Right!"_ Bubbles, Buttercup, and Bridgette said, before springing into action to save Johnny and stop Mojo once again; to the girls, the whole thing was routine and predictable. Then again, things were starting to become routine as it is in their lives.

The girls flew forward to save Johnny, who was running, scared. Bridgette, rolling her eyes, picked Johnny up by the shoulders and flew him out of Mojo's reach. She was not impressed with Johnny's behavior in that moment, and she was willing to let him know it.

"You okay, _hero?_" Bridgette asked, emphasizing "hero" with bitterness in her voice.

"Of course I'm okay! I was just outrunning Mojo to slow him down so I could make the final blow." Johnny said.

"Really? I would call that _'running scared to death'_, Johnny." Bridgette said, rolling her eyes.

Blossom tied Mojo up with her yo-yo, while Bubbles and Buttercup just hit Mojo in the head, knocking him out. Buttercup knocked Mojo off the set as if she were hitting a home run; Mojo was screaming his head off as he flew away.

"Ugh, the set's nearly ruined," The director said. "Anyway, back to shooting!"

"Honestly, Johnny, if you were a _real_ hero, you would have had the courage to at least _TRY_ to take Mojo on your own! You're nothing more than a cowardly actor; just like the girls said!" Bridgette said, as she crossed her arms and went back to her chair. She sat down, and crossed her legs while breathing a huff of annoyance with Johnny.

She crossed her legs while sitting in the chair, while saying, "The guy certainly is pathetic…"

"You said it, Bridgette." Buttercup said.

Johnny was getting angry at Bridgette's comments, and he said, "I'll show her! I'll show her I'm the better hero!"

Soon, the clock's timer went off, and the director said, "Okay, people, that's enough for today! We'll pick up from where we left off tomorrow."

"Good work, girls," The manager said, commenting on the girls' impeccable behavior at the set that day. "And thanks for helping us out when Mojo tried to take over."

"Just doing our job," Blossom said, while gazing at Johnny Cosmo lovingly. "I can't wait to come back tomorrow! What about you girls?!"

* * *

The girls flew back to the lab after a job well done but Bubbles, Buttercup, and Bridgette were not happy. They were sitting around the couch and eating more of Bridgette's handmade pastries; this time, she had made some cream horns, ones that were much better than what was made on the set. And everyone agreed with that comment, as they ate.

"Johnny is _SUCH_ a faker!" Bridgette said, as she munched on a cream horn and started grumbling as she ate them.

"How can anyone tolerate that phony hero?" Buttercup asked, as she ate a cookie.

Blossom was not listening; she kept eating the cookies and cream horns while Bubbles was not commenting on anything.

"Why do you four have to play bodyguard for that guy?" Ken asked, as he began eating more of the cookies.

"What upsets me is that we have to go back there to help Johnny and the crew tomorrow." Bubbles said, as she really did not want to miss another date with Cody.

"I just hope the other boys aren't catching on to our secret…" Blossom said.

She finally got her focus back. She was really worried about Luke finding out the girls' secret. Not like she could be blamed; it could potentially put Luke and Ricardo in danger, should they find out about the girls.

"So, we're stuck going back there tomorrow," Bridgette said. "And I am _NOT_ looking forward to this; Johnny is a complete phony, and I refuse to play "Princess Charming" to some so-called "Dude in Distress" around the set. Sure, he may be playing himself with a corrupted side rising up, but at the end of the day, he's just an actor and an actor alone."

"I couldn't agree more, Bridgette," Buttercup said, as she ate another cookie. "What do you think, Bubbles?"

"Mr. Cosmo is depending on us to keep him out of harm's way," Bubbles said. "We shouldn't be complaining."

"Alright, fine," Bridgette said. "But he'd better not be a coward like he was today; I'd never be caught dead saving him!"

"Are you sure?" Blossom said.

"Yes!" Bridgette said, crossing her arms, in an angry huff, not knowing what she was going to get herself into during the next day's shooting.

* * *

The next day, however, the girls were in for a big surprise. They were eating some of Bridgette's elephant ears while sitting on the directors' chairs that they were lent for the shoot. The crew was starting to get ready to shoot the climax and the final scene of the entire movie. The girls were not really paying attention, but the news that was about to come was what was about to throw a wrench into the mix, but Blossom could take it, something the girls knew very well.

The director and the crew were setting up the scene for the big fight scene between the evil side of Johnny Cosmo and the ones who were to fight him and break the corruption; however, whoever the actor tasked to fight Johnny was, that was a question the girls were wondering.

"I wonder what poor sap is going to get an easy advantage against Johnny Cosmo?" Bridgette said, jokingly, while laughing a little bit.

She was about to get her answer, but she was _not_ going to like it.

"Alright, Johnny, we're ready for the climax," The director said, as he started up from his seat. "Get in position."

"On it, director!" Johnny said, as he got onto the set, and got into position for the climax.

"Everyone ready for the big scene?" The director asked.

"_WE'RE READY!"_ Everyone shouted.

"Okay. This scene has Johnny being close to getting fully corrupted by the key, and then the PowerPuff Girls Z are summoned to stop him before the corruption is complete." The director said, after Johnny was in position for the climax of the movie.

"_SAY WHAT?!"_ Bubbles, Bridgette, and Buttercup shouted, as they heard this news. Blossom, on the other hand, was thrilled that she and her buddies were to get the change to battle Johnny Cosmo and actually be on stage.

"Now hold it," Buttercup complained, a vein throbbing in her forehead while she held up a fist in annoyance. "I don't remember being asked to play a role in the movie! I thought we were being security detail!"

"Yeah." Bubbles said, but she was being calm about it; she had a worried look on her face.

"We think that it would be a great way to get a box office hit if the PowerPuff Girls were in the movie, being the ones to ultimately save the day!" The director said.

"_WHAT?!_ I don't remember that being in the script!" Johnny said, as he flipped through the script and saw that there was nothing regarding the PowerPuff Girls.

"Hahaha! Talk about _flipping the script!_" Bridgette said, as she made a joke; the other girls laughed at the joke.

"We left it out of the script on purpose," The director said. "Girls, you can do this, I know! Just pretend Johnny is Mojo Jojo or any of your other villains and take him down in the most show stopping, dazzling, high-powered attack pattern _EVER!_"

"Okay, if you say so…" Blossom said, but she was more focused on the fact that she would be in a movie with one of her favorite super heroes.

"Oh, you've _GOT_ to be kidding me, Blossom!" Bridgette complained, as she face-palmed herself. "Look, I get that you're happy about being in a movie with Johnny Cosmo, but _COME ON!_ This is an _actor_ we're talking about! He's just a phony!"

"Now girls, please, no complaining," The director said. "The four of you need to get on set."

"Fine…" Bubbles said, trying her best to smile.

The girls were on set, their weapons in hand, and ready to get started on the shoot. They were really in character; even Blossom was focused enough to know what to do.

"Are you sure this is going to be okay?" Buttercup asked. "We never got a chance to read the script."

"I think the director said something about adlibbing it; he told me that sometimes the more memorable and significant moments in a film are those that come out of nowhere and are completely irrelevant to the script." Bubbles said.

"So flipping the script to make a better film? That sounds legit." Bridgette said.

"Forget it! We're in a movie with _Johnny Cosmo_! We need to make this count!" Blossom said, clear and focused.

Her friends merely groaned at this statement, and decided to get filming. The director was in front of the camera, and had a film marker in his hands.

"Now, remember," The director said. "The key to this scene being a success is neither side holding back."

"Understood." Bridgette said, ready to draw her swords; she did not take them out just then; she knew better than to jump the gun when it came to acting.

"Take one… Action!" The director said, before slapping the marker and moving out of the way of the camera. The camera started rolling, and the scene changed. The girls were standing in a fighting position, but Blossom had a facial expression that showed concern and worry over Johnny's sanity.

"Johnny, let go of the key! Please!" Blossom begged, as she put on fake tears to try and get through to the near-completely corrupted Johnny Cosmo; the eye contacts he was wearing made his eyes look like they were red with evil, and his costume was different.

"Hahahahaha! What can four little girls do?" Johnny asked, with a sinister tone in his voice; an evil smirk graced his lips as he chuckled evilly.

"Mr. Cosmo, please! You have to snap out of it! This evil side… It's not you!" Bubbles said, as she tried to reason with the "evil" Johnny Cosmo.

"Of course this is me! This is who I've always been," Johnny said. "I just needed a catalyst to let it really show. All that goody-goody, heroism I did in the past was all just the fake, phony, pathetic, former self doing it all!"

Johnny then started laughing maniacally, and he raised the key up before pointing at the girls; the girls were blasted back into a wall on another side of the set, but they got up, rubbing their heads.

"See? You four are no match for the absolute power that is Johnny Cosmo!" Johnny said, with a sinister laugh.

"Ugh… Don't be so sure, Johnny!" Blossom said, as she and the girls started to rise up from the dust and try to fight Johnny again.

"That key… How are we going to stop that key from corrupting Mr. Cosmo?" Bubbles asked, as she rubbed her head.

"The only way for Johnny to return to normal is to let go of the key; it has to be on his own free will, whatever amounts of it he has left. The longer he has physical contact with the key, the more corrupt he'll get! The problem now is that he's gone so long with that thing in his hands that Johnny's almost at the point where it's permanent!" Bridgette said, as she stood up.

"We're not going to get through to him like this," Buttercup said. "We've been beating a dead horse by talking him out of it. So, let's beat a _live_ horse by fighting him!"

"Buttercup, are you sure?" Blossom said, letting her genuine admiration for Johnny shine through.

"We have no choice!" Bubbles said. "It's the only way to help Mr. Cosmo!"

"Okay…" Blossom said.

"Blossom, we need you to focus on this," Bridgette said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "That key is dangerous; we need to get it off of Johnny without touching it ourselves. They say 'absolute power corrupts absolutely', and we're witnessing that right now."

"Bring it on, girls," Johnny said. "You're not going to win, anyway! I have _absolute power!_"

"Don't be so sure!" Bridgette said, as she drew her swords and charged up some energy. "Buttercup! Head's up!"

Buttercup caught the energy in her hammer; she shot it over to Bubbles, who caught the energy, and then she shot it over to Blossom.

Blossom caught it in her yo-yo, and while she felt horrible about hurting the superhero she thought to be a star, she decided to do the right thing; the whole thing was nothing less than an act, either way.

"Wh-What the…?!" Johnny said, as he saw what the girls were up to.

"I'm sorry, Johnny! But this is for your own good!" Blossom said, before shedding some tears.

She did a baseball throw, which included lifting her leg, and then she shot the energy at Johnny Cosmo, who took the hit right on the chin. He was thrown back, he landed on the ground, and then he dropped the key.

"Buttercup, smash the key!" Bubbles said, in a panic.

"Right!" Buttercup shouted. _"Hyper-Sonic SWING!"_

She smashed the key into small bits, and with the fan, it blew into the wind, never to be put back together.

Johnny was on the ground, and his costume changed back to normal, as did his hair and his eyes.

"Johnny!" The girls shouted, as they came to his side.

"Girls… You saved me… Thank you." Johnny said, as he bowed down to the girls, and gave them his solemn gratitude.

The scene had transitioned to Blossom and Luke watching the completed movie together, at the theatre. Blossom was leaning on Luke's shoulder, while Luke had an arm around Blossom's shoulder. The two were happy that the movie ended well, and soon, the lights came back on as the credits started.

"So, that's what the poster meant when they said the PowerPuff Girls Z were going to be making an appearance," Luke said. "But I'm glad the field project the Professor needed your help on was finished so soon. I wanted to see this movie with you so bad."

"I wanted to see it, too, Luke," Blossom said. "I may be a fan of Johnny Cosmo, but I've found someone who is a thousand times better than him."

"Who?" Luke asked, albeit the back of his mind told him otherwise.

"You!" Blossom said, as she hugged Luke from the side and gave him a big smile.

Luke laughed along with Blossom, who smiled at him with love in her eyes.

* * *

**That ended well, huh? I hope that the girls get more time with their boys in the future. In the next chapter, I need to give a certain monster his due. **

**Next time…**

**Blossom: Great! Fuzzy Lumpkins is up to no good as usual! **

**Bubbles: We need to stop him! He's damaging the city again. I can understand property protection, but…**

**Buttercup: Let's pound him!**

**Bridgette: Forget that! We've got a crisis on our hands!**

**Bloss, Bub, Butter: **_**What?!**_

**Bridgette: The honeybee population is down significantly on an international basis! This is a crisis!**

**Blossom: How is a honeybee population going down a crisis?**

**Bridgette: **_**HOW CAN IT **__**NOT**__** BE A CRISIS?!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Fuzzy Lumpkins is up to his old tricks, but he seems angrier than usual. However, as far as Bridgette's concerned, keeping the peace in the city is the least of the girls' – no, scratch that – the **_**world's**_** problems. After noticing a major decrease in produce and other plant-based baking ingredients, Bridgette learns that there is a current honeybee population crisis. She's more worried about how her life in the baking industry is going to be affected by this than she's worried about trouble in the city at the moment…**

**And before you ask, YES, there **_**IS**_** a real-world crisis regarding honeybees. There's been a major decline in their populations on an international basis. Now, I'm sure there are some of you out there that are thinking, 'Less bees? GREAT! Less bee stings', and for those of you who have bee sting allergies, I can understand why you would think that, but **_**HONEYBEES ARE CRUCIAL TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECOSYSTEM AS A WHOLE**_**. Bees not only provide honey, but they pollinate more than one third of the crops we eat, and without bees, there would be a major food shortage. See why Bridgette – and myself – would be so worried about it?**

* * *

_Fuzzy Gone Buzzy!_

Bridgette was in the supermarket in the center of New Townsville, looking around for new ingredients to use in her baking. She decided that rather than using the same old techniques and formulas to share with her friends over and over, Bridgette wanted to try something new.

"Alright, time to make some apple biscuits! Let's see, I know the recipe called for Granny Smith apples, but what's the harm in using pink lady apples instead?" Bridgette said, as she walked through the store.

Bridgette was in the center of the produce section of the shop, but her facial expression grew worried. She saw that the normal amount of fruits and vegetables in the shop were down by a significant amount, and once she got a look at her favorite pink lady apples, she saw that the number of apples was also down.

"This isn't right…" Bridgette said, looking at all of the fruit and veggies. She was not looking very happy at the situation.

Bridgette then turned to look at the honey supply, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. Looking at the shelf, she only saw one jar; her eyes widened with shock at seeing this, and out of shock and surprise, she screamed very loudly.

"How is this… Possible?!" Bridgette said, about to faint. "I… I… NO!"

Snatching up all of the ingredients she would need for her next recipe, she paid her bill, and dashed out of the store before running back to her house in a fright.

Bridgette hit the computer as soon as she got back to the house, and scrambled for the news articles under 'food shortages'. She soon found exactly what she was looking for, and out of complete shock, she slapped her hands on her face.

A few hours later at the lab, Blossom was watching her usual super hero shows, Buttercup was using the computer to watch some game matches that she had missed, and Bubbles and Cody were holding hands while looking at magazines together; Cody was looking for the latest boys' fashion, and Bubbles was helping him out by giving him advice.

"This leather jacket in blue matches you perfectly, Cody," Bubbles said, as she looked through the pages. "Don't you think?"

"Anything you recommend for me Bubbles, I'll love." Cody said, putting an arm around Bubbles' shoulder, to which she blushed and giggled.

"Go, go, go!" Buttercup said, as she was watching soccer, and her favorite team had the ball.

"Go, Galactic Man! Take Dr. Bison down!" Blossom cheered, as she was watching the TV.

Bridgette then burst in with a large "bang" and everyone jumped a bit before turning to the door to see Bridgette, panting and looking like she had seen a ghost.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Bubbles asked.

"No, I'm not…" Bridgette said, short of breath, feeling really overwhelmed, and was about to panic.

"Bridgette, just calm down…" Blossom said.

"Calm down? _CALM DOWN?! __**HOW CAN I CALM DOWN AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!**_"

"Bridgette, what's curdled your cream?" Buttercup said; she had picked up some baking analogies from Bridgette.

"The same thing that's _wreaking havoc on the entire international food supply as we know it! _If something isn't done, around one third of the entire supply of the world's crops is going to disappear!" Bridgette shouted, as she started pacing around, panicking, and feeling really worried.

After hearing that, Cody and the girls grew worried as Bridgette started ruffling her hair and muttering, all amped up and afraid. She was about to hit her head on the wall when Blossom came up to her and calmed her down while trying to find out what was going on.

"What's the problem?" Blossom asked, albeit she was afraid she was going to find out the answer pretty soon.

"Bees, that's what the problem is!" Bridgette said. "Bees!"

"Bees? How are bees a problem?" Cody asked, very confused.

"It's not so much that we have _too many_ honeybees, it's a problem that we don't have _enough_ honeybees!" Bridgette said.

"What are you talking about?" Bubbles asked.

"When I was at the store today, I found that there was only one jar of honey in the whole shop; I saw that one third of the entire produce section wasn't there, either. So, I panicked, ran back home after shopping, and looked it up. There's a _HUGE_ decline in bee populations all over the world!" Bridgette said, in a major panic.

"So there are less bees all over the world; big deal. At least bee sting-related deaths are going to go down." Buttercup said, not realizing how serious the situation was.

Bridgette slammed her hands down on the table and hollered, "True, but you're being _**really**_ ignorant about this, Buttercup! Honeybees are crucial to the survival of not only plants, but us humans and other animals, too! Without the bees, which are responsible for pollinating around one third of the fruits and vegetables we eat, there would not only be a major plant decline, but our food supply on an international basis would plummet, too! And honey isn't the only issue, either! Plants pollinated by bees are also crucial to the survival of other animals! For example, fruit-eating bears and deer rely on bees for that sort of thing!"

Bridgette groaned as she slapped her hands on her face in a panic.

"What about butterflies?" Blossom asked. "Wouldn't butterflies compensate for that?"

"I don't think so, Blossom," Bridgette said. "They can't carry as much pollen as honeybees do."

"No wonder you're in a panic," Bubbles said. "And with your future goal as a pastry chef, you need to keep up with this sort of thing so you can accommodate those kinds of situations."

"Exactly, Bubbles! I only managed to make a few of my honey-glazed apple turnovers, too…" Bridgette said, as she took out the basket of apple turnovers she made.

She set them down on the table while letting everyone go at them, herself included. The group ate the turnovers, both with bliss, and with hope that these would not be the last ones they would enjoy.

"Bridgette, these apple turnovers are the most delicious thing I've ever eaten," Cody said. "You're really good."

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "But what has me worried is that this will be the last time I ever get to make them…"

"I'm sure there are people around the world looking into the problem and trying to fix it." Buttercup said.

"I hope so…" Bridgette said, but her body language said that she was about to perseverate on the issue.

Everyone was enjoying the turnovers while Bridgette only ate one; she was trying to savor the flavor of her turnovers and she wanted to make sure that she could never forget the taste.

Meanwhile, Fuzzy Lumpkins was in his usual spot in the mountain area, playing his banjo. His stomach growled, and then he said, "I think its 'bout time for honey."

He walked over to a tree branch, and shook it down to reveal a hive. He noticed none of the bees in the hive came out. Fuzzy did not think anything was wrong; using his hands, he snapped the hive open and saw that not only were there no bees inside, but there was not honey, either.

"No honey?!" Fuzzy shouted, as he saw that the hive was completely empty.

Fuzzy dashed over to another hive and he knocked it down, but once again, he saw that there were no bees, nor was there any honey to speak of.

"No…!" Fuzzy said, in disbelief.

He ran another mile to another beehive and he knocked it down and opened it up. Just like before, there were no bees, and no honey.

Getting worried, he ran around the entire forest, looking for a beehive full of honey and bees, but after around five or so hives, he gave up, falling to his rear end and a realization hit him like a ton of bricks: there was no honey in the entire forest.

"No honey means I get hungry!" Fuzzy said, as he got up and got angry. "Must be them humans hoarding all the honey for themselves! I'll get my honey back!"

Fuzzy grew really angry, but his dark aura did not emit for some reason; must because he was not as angry as he could be, which reduced the aura emissions. He started growling and vowing to get back at the humans for hoarding honey, albeit he was unaware that this was not the case.

* * *

Back with Bridgette, she was at her house, making some more honey-glazed apple turnovers.

"Okay, so now to put the apple pie filling inside…" Bridgette said.

She put a tiny scoop of homemade apple pie filling on top of the puff pastry dough she made, used some egg wash to make a glue, and she folded the dough like a triangle and crimped the sides using a fork. She then sprinkled some sanding sugar on top before putting the turnovers in the oven.

"Alright. Next, for the honey glaze." Bridgette said.

She was really worried about the whole thing with the honeybee population problem, so she decided to bake to her heart's content to relax. For some strange reason, despite all of the manual labor and such in the industry, baking always seemed to cheer Bridgette up.

She started mixing up honey and lemon juice; she used apple blossom honey because she was making apple turnovers, and she mixed it until it ran thin when she raised some of the glaze with the fork Bridgette had used.

"Perfect." Bridgette said, as she smiled and managed to calm her nerves.

At the lab, the girls and Cody were talking about Bridgette's rants and concerns.

"I don't blame Bridgette for getting upset," Blossom said, eating one of the turnovers Bridgette left behind at the lab. "Without honeybees, the whole food web will be thrown out of whack; not to mention how badly this is going to affect our food supply."

"Right," Bubbles said. "Just think how this will affect the menu and business at Annie's restaurant. Plus, Bridgette is an up-and-coming pastry chef; without the ingredients bees help produce, how will she make it in the industry?"

Poochi started barking and yelping out of nowhere, and the girls looked in the robot dog's direction. The Professor and Ken soon saw what was happening on the monitors: Mojo was up to his old tricks, but this time, he was stealing cakes and pastries all over town.

"Looks like Mojo is going on a sweets rampage again…" Ken said, sweat dropping.

"Oh, boy, Bridgette is _NOT_ going to be happy when she hears this…" Buttercup said.

"Are you ready, girls?" Blossom asked Bubbles and Buttercup.

"Right!" Bubbles and Buttercup said in reply, as well as a nod of confirmation.

"Ready to make the call, Poochi?" Ken asked.

"I'm on it, Ken!" Poochi said. _"PowerPuff Girls, we need you!"_

The girls then raised up their hands, and their rings formed.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

The girls flew out the window of the lab to go and stop Mojo Jojo. However, Bridgette did not transform as of yet, so she was behind the girls.

Bridgette was still at her house; the turnovers had just come out of the oven and were piping hot; she was putting the honey glaze she made over the turnovers. She put her spoon down and sighed sadly.

"I hope this isn't the last batch of turnovers I ever make… Or maybe I'm just worrying over nothing, as always," Bridgette said. "Well, better get started on those biscuits for dad."

Bridgette was about to make a beeline for the all-purpose flour to make some biscuits, when her power belt started going off.

"Oh, boy…" Bridgette said, as she sighed a little bit.

She ran up to her father's study, knocked on the door, and she called out, "Dad, duty calls! There's trouble in the city again!"

"Go get 'em, Bridgette!" Melvin said.

"Thanks, Dad," Bridgette said, before running out of the house from the back door into the yard.

She snagged her belt out of its pocket and she got ready to transform and catch up with her buddies.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

"Time to get to work!" Bridgette declared, ready.

Bridgette flew up into the sky in a rush, ready to go and help her friends save the day. Then again, she had been doing so for over a month, so she felt confident that she knew what she was doing.

However, she felt really distracted since her mind was still wandering over to the thoughts of the bee population crisis.

She thought, _'Oh…'_

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup made it to the scene where Mojo was destroying cake trucks and eating their baked goods from all across the street. Mojo stuffed his face more and more with each cake that he had with him, but he was also getting fatter and fatter with each bite.

"Hahahahaha! I cannot take over the world on an empty stomach, now can I?" Mojo asked aloud, as he kept eating the cakes he had stolen. His gobbling noises were just very annoying to the girls as a whole; not that Mojo would care, either way.

"_Stop it right there, Mojo!" _Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup shouted. _"Stolen sweets are sweeter, but nothing's sweeter than US – The PowerPuff Girls!"_

Hearing the girls' voices and causing him to stop in his tracks, Mojo dropped a few of the cakes, but Bubbles used her bubbles to catch them in time. The girls sighed in relief.

"Oh, phew… Good catch, Bubbles," Blossom said. "If Bridgette saw that, she'd fly off the handle."

"Speaking of whom, she's not here, yet…" Bubbles said, looking around for Bridgette.

Bridgette made it to the scene, but rather than freaking out at the sight of all of the ruined and stolen pastries, her head was in the clouds regarding the honeybee situation.

"Hey, girls, sorry I'm late." Bridgette absentmindedly said, as she made it up beside her buddies; her arms were crossed, but her face said that she was more or less confused and worried about bees rather than Mojo.

"Bridgette, there you are!" Blossom said. "What happened?"

Bridgette was not listening; she was too focused on the bees.

"Bridgette?" Buttercup asked, worried about her friend.

"Looks like your sword friend isn't too focused today." Mojo said, really happy to see how distracted Bridgette was.

Mojo used one of his robotic arms, and then he converted it into a large mallet. He swung the hammer at the girls, who flew off in another direction, but Bridgette, still perseverating on the bees, did not move an inch.

"Bridgette, look out!" Blossom shouted.

"Huh? AH!" Bridgette shouted, but she got slammed into the wall.

Bridgette's eyes were spirals for a second, but as she looked at the robot, she managed to gain focus. Unfortunately, the patterns on the robot made Bridgette see honeybees, so she groaned very loudly in frustration.

"Bridgette, what's going on? You're never this distracted." Buttercup asked.

"I can't stop thinking about the bees!" Bridgette said, about to cry.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup just sweat dropped at hearing this. They knew the population crisis was important to Bridgette, but they felt now was not the time or place.

"Bridgette, pull yourself together!" Blossom said.

Bridgette once again tried to attack again; she drew her swords out and prepared to slice through one of Mojo's robot arms, but the angle at which she was seeing the robotic hand, it just reminded her of a honeybee. Bridgette then got distracted, and was swatted back into the air; she tumbled and did somersaults in mid-air while trying to get her balance back.

Bridgette got her balance back once she managed to focus again, but she was still dizzy from the mid-air tumble.

"Bridgette, are you okay up there?" Buttercup asked, as she had her hammer out.

"I'm fine… Just…" Bridgette said, but she kept seeing bees fly around in circles around Mojo's robot. She ruffled her hair as she groaned in frustration.

"Bridgette, are you sure you're okay?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette's worries started to become hallucinations; everywhere around Mojo's robot, she saw bees, honey, fruits, and such.

"No bees… Honey… Fruit shortage… No baking…! GAAAH!" Bridgette shouted, as she started bonking herself on the head.

"Bridgette, if you're so frustrated about bees, take it out on Mojo!" Buttercup said, trying to get Bridgette to snap out of her daze.

Bridgette did not seem to listen; she said, "You guys take care of this on your own… I can't keep the bees off my mind."

The girls merely looked at Bridgette with concern; Bridgette flew off in shame at this, and decided to just head home.

"Bridgette! What's going on?" Bubbles asked.

"I'm too off-balance right now; you three handle this, okay?" Bridgette said, before flying off.

The girls merely looked at each other.

"Hello! I'm right here!" Mojo shouted, causing the girls to look in his direction.

"Alright, Mojo, if Bridgette wasn't so worried about honeybees right now, she'd be ticked off _big time_ at seeing this mess!" Blossom said, before the girls flew in to attack.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bridgette had gone back home and she was working on her biscuits. She felt really embarrassed about letting the honeybee crisis get to her the way it did. However, the girls did not blame her.

"Biscuits, biscuits…" Bridgette hummed, as she was making the biscuits.

Bridgette was cutting the butter and shortening into the flour mix using her bare hands, something that she had learned over the years, and she smiled once she got the dry goods done. She added the liquid in, and used her hands to mix the dough until it just came together; it was sticky, just like it should be, and she relaxed a little bit.

There was a knock on the door; Bridgette had to let the dough sit anyway, so she decided to go answer the door herself.

Bridgette saw her friends at the door; smiling she said, "Come on in; I'm making some biscuits."

Once the biscuits were finished, Bridgette placed a tray of them on the coffee table.

"Bridgette…" Blossom said, not sure how to start.

"Save it," Bridgette said, crossing her arms. "You're here to scold me about getting distracted on the battlefield?"

Bubbles sweat dropped and said, "I think _'scold'_ is a tad harsh, but yes…"

"I thought so… And don't try to tell me to stay focused in the middle of fights; you can't say you're not guilty of such things, either. Remember, Buttercup?" Bridgette said, talking back to her buddies.

Buttercup sweat dropped and then she said, "Ehehehehe… Touché, Bridgette."

"You're not the only ones who have been distracted in fights before," Blossom said. "I remember that one time where Annie's whirly cakes had their recipe altered due to a shortage of beanie berries, and that was the only thing that was on my mind in a fight with Sedusa."

"And Bubbles?" Bridgette asked.

Bubbles shook her head, as she had never been distracted before; at least, not any time she could remember.

The girls merely laughed off the entire thing about distractions, as they decided to eat their biscuits.

"These are really good biscuits, Bridgette," Buttercup said, smiling. "I expected nothing less."

"Thanks!" Bridgette said, with a pink tint and a smile on her face.

However, what the girls did not notice was that Fuzzy had entered the city and saw a lot of stores had honey jars in shelves. Seeing this, Fuzzy got really angry at the sight of it.

"So I was right… Them humans are hoggin' all mah honey!" Fuzzy growled, before going on a rampage.

He started smashing windows and breaking honey jars open with his bare hands and ate the honey. The honey got all over Fuzzy's mouth and he licked his lips to get the rest of it.

"Mmm! Honey! That's what y'all humans get for hoggin' mah honey!" Fuzzy said, as everyone was running, scared.

"Who said we were hogging it?! We get this honey from beekeepers worldwide!" One of the workers shouted, but then he ducked when another empty jar of honey hit the wall and shattered.

Ken, Poochi, and the Professor were eating some leftover turnovers that Bridgette had brought, when Poochi's nose started acting up.

Poochi began barking, and then he shouted, "It's Fuzzy Lumpkins! He's rampaging!"

"Let's check the monitors!" Ken said.

The Professor turned on the monitors to see Fuzzy rampaging through the honey store, eating all of the honey, and shouting, "Them beekeepers need to release mah bees!"

"Oh, great…" Poochi said. "Looks like Bridgette's not the only one who's upset about the honey crisis…"

"Bridgette's not going to be happy when she sees this…" Ken said.

"Call in the girls, Poochi!" The Professor said.

"Right! I'm on it!" Poochi said. _"PowerPuff Girls, we need you!"_

The call's signal made it to the girls' belts and they soon started flashing and beeping.

"Not again! We just wrapped things up with Mojo!" Buttercup complained.

"No helping it, Buttercup," Bridgette said. "We have work to do, so let's stop lying around like yeast dough during rising and get going! Come on, girls!"

The girls ran outside to the back yard of Bridgette's house to transform in private. Melvin was still working, so the girls had to be mindful of that.

"Okay, we should be good here. This is the most private part of the yard, so no one should see anything." Bridgette said.

"Let's go!" Blossom said.

The girls raised their hands up to the air, forming the rings, and then they got started.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!" _

Opening up her compact, Blossom looked at the screen, and then she saw Fuzzy in the honey shops, rampaging and eating every jar of honey on the shelves.

"Oh, boy…" Buttercup said.

"What?! He's shattering honey jars and eating the honey?!" Bridgette said. _"That's not only as helpful to this crisis as leeches on a corpse, but __HE'S ALSO CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD WITH ALL OF THAT BROKEN GLASS!_"

"So, you've finally found your focus!" Blossom said. "Let's get going!"

The girls flew up and out of the yard and headed to Fuzzy's location.

Fuzzy kept eating the honey, but as he was about to reach for another jar, Blossom's yo-yo tied it up and yanked it back. Bridgette took the jar and glared at Fuzzy, while growling lowly.

"_Your fingers are like honey – sticky! But now the four of us are here to clean those hands up!" _The four girls shouted, as they made their group pose.

"Fuzzy, eating all of this honey and shattering the glass is both selfish and dangerous!" Bridgette said, really unhappy with Fuzzy's behavior.

"It's what y'all humans and them beekeepers get for hoggin' mah honey!" Fuzzy shouted, as he then smacked the girls out of the shop and onto the pavement. "All the hives on mah land were empty when I wanted a snack! No honey, no bees! Y'all humans must of stolen them!"

"That big, pink oaf…" Bridgette said, as she got up, angrily. "Doesn't he know that bees aren't being _stolen_?! They're _dying_ left and right!"

"Even if we tried to reason with him, he's not going to listen to us…" Blossom said.

"That strength of his has done a number on us time and time again." Buttercup said.

"And he's so rude, too! He's nice enough to help an old man, but…" Bubbles said, but…

"Listen up, you bumpkin!" Bridgette shouted, not listening to her friends. "Bees are great with making honey, yes, and while there are beekeepers, true, we humans aren't stealing them or hoarding them! We're in the middle of a honeybee population crisis! It's only luck that we managed to have several shops with honey right now!"

Fuzzy was not listening to her, and he slammed his fists on the ground, causing some cracks in the ground and a miniature earthquake. The girls stumbled around and tried to keep their balance, but Bridgette managed to keep herself grounded by using her swords into the pavement.

"Once Fuzzy starts, he won't stop…" Bubbles said, as she stood up.

"What are we going to do? We've never fought Fuzzy over something like honey." Buttercup said.

"We've fought monsters over sweets before," Blossom said. "The only way to calm down Fuzzy would be to let him see Ms. Bellum; we already know _that's_ out of the question."

"There's no way we're subjecting her to danger," Bubbles replied. "But what can we do? It's not like we can just pick apples and call it a day!"

"Apples…" Bridgette said; a light bulb appeared over her head, and she smiled. "Bubbles, you just gave me a great idea! Keep him busy! I'll be back!"

Bridgette flew off without another word, confusing her friends.

"You heard what she said," Blossom said. "Let's go!"

The girls flew off at Fuzzy, barraging him with their attacks, but they either bounced off or did nothing to him.

Fuzzy was just too angry to be hurt, so he started rampaging even worse; he was really angry about his lack of honey.

"Whatever Bridgette's plan is, she'd better hurry up and get here!" Buttercup said, as she tried and failed to hit Fuzzy on the head with her hammer; he grabbed her by the leg and threw her into a crater.

Bridgette flew down into the yard of her house; dashing inside, she found the plate of honey-glazed apple-turnovers that she had made.

"Perfect," Bridgette said. "And they're still warm, too."

Putting the turnovers in a basket with a heating element inside, Bridgette tied up the basket and flew out of the house in a major rush.

'_Everyone… Please, hang on!' _Bridgette prayed.

The girls were struggling to fight off Fuzzy and keep themselves from getting hurt at the same time.

"Girls, how are you holding up over there?" Blossom asked; she had fallen on her back, upside down, against a wall.

"Not very well," Buttercup said; she had been caught by one of Bubbles' bubbles, and she had a hard time standing up without using her hammer. "Wherever Bridgette is, she'd better hurry up and help us out!"

"_HEY, FUZZY!"_ Bridgette shouted, as she flew down from the sky; her hand was in the basket.

"What do y'all want?" Fuzzy angrily asked Bridgette; he had noticed that she had fled. "After being a coward like that?"

"It's not being a coward if you're trying to think of a plan," Bridgette said. "Hungry? _CATCH!_"

Bridgette threw a piping hot apple turnover, and Fuzzy caught it in his mouth; after chewing and swallowing for a few seconds, Fuzzy smiled with a look of bliss, and he started laughing happily.

"Those are my specially-made honey-glazed apple turnovers! All made from ingredients that could not have been available without honeybees!" Bridgette said, landing in front of Fuzzy.

"That doesn't change the fact them beekeepers have been stealing mah bees." Fuzzy said, as he finished eating the turnovers.

"Stealing is a big stretch," Bridgette said. "While there _are_ beekeepers out there, bees aren't being stolen or hoarded."

"Quit lying." Fuzzy said, as he ate another turnover.

"I thought that you would think that, so I brought this," Bridgette said, handing Fuzzy a newspaper article. "Assuming you can read."

"Alright, let's see…" Fuzzy said, before skimming over the article. His eyes widened. "_Honeybee Crisis?!_"

"That's right," Bridgette said. "Honeybees are dying left and right; colony collapse disorder, parasites, temperature swings, pesticides. Too many factors are involved with this. Bees are crucial to the survival of all of us; humans, flowers, animals. You name it, it most likely depends on bees. If something isn't done, then we won't have any apples, which means no apple turnovers! We're doing what we can to save honeybees, but it's very complicated. So, please… Calm down?"

"I see…" Fuzzy said, listening to Bridgette. "So bees are crucial to more than just honey making. I guess I was wrong to jump to conclusions."

'_No kidding…' _Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup thought, sweat dropping.

"Can you please try to be more mindful of other's property and merchandise from now on?" Bridgette asked; she then pointed to the honey store Fuzzy wrecked. "You left a real safety hazard over there with all of that broken glass."

Fuzzy then looked in the direction where Bridgette was pointing, and he then sweat dropped.

"I guess I overreacted, didn't I?" Fuzzy asked, sweat dropping.

The girls groaned as they heard Fuzzy say this; Blossom said, "Fuzzy, we understand why you're upset about honey shortages, but Bridgette was really upset about it, too."

"No kidding," Bridgette said. "Almost everyone should be worried about it."

The girls wrapped things up and they flew back to the lab.

"I'm glad you managed to focus, Bridgette," Blossom said, as the girls ate more of Bridgette's biscuits. "I know the bee situation is important to you."

"Thanks, Blossom," Bridgette said. "But I'm also glad I found someone else who was just as worried as I was."

"Fuzzy?" Bubbles asked, as she drank some tea.

"That would explain why he went on that rampage," Cody said, eating a biscuit. "He must have been upset over the bees, too. Not that I blame him. But the point is that the bee situation is sure to be under control; at least, I hope so."

"I'm sure it will be taken care of," Bridgette said, looking out the window. "Because I want to make some more goods soon."

There was a blossoming cherry tree, and a lone honeybee came and landed on the flowers, before looking to the screen, and supposedly smiling.

* * *

**That's that! And yes, the whole honeybee situation **_**IS REAL!**_** Don't believe me? Look it up on the news! A lot of the above factors I mentioned in this chapter, are, yes, true, but there's more than just that. There's genetics and nutrition, too. Maybe it's better for you to research it as opposed to taking my word for it… **

**Now, to lighten the mood and make sure people aren't so upset over this, time for me to present our next plotline…**

**Next time…**

**Blossom: We're going on a group date to the beach! There's nothing like sun, surf, sand, and our boyfriends!**

**Bubbles: But Bridgette seems like she thinks she's a seventh wheel since she doesn't have a boyfriend. Four girls, three boys, so…**

**Buttercup: But can we blame her for not having one, after what she's been through?**

**Bubbles and Blossom: No…**

**Bridgette: I also have to play lifeguard and save a boy who's drowning; good thing I'm trained in First Aid and CPR. The trouble is, I have this strange feeling that this is going to end up like something out of "The Little Mermaid"… Not that I'm **_**looking**_** for love, anyway.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Time for something out of "The Little Mermaid" to occur for our Bridgette! The girls and their boyfriends are at the beach; Bridgette, feeling like a seventh wheel, decides to go off on her own and leave her friends with their boyfriends. However, as she's trying to relax on her own, she sees a boy drowning, and goes in to save him. And just like the prince in the story, this boy falls head-over-heels in love with his savior. Let's see how well this turns out for him.**

**This chapter introduces Josh Jones, OC of Super Bash. **

* * *

_Bridgette The Mermaid?!_

The sun was shinning brightly, and it was a peaceful, uneventful day. So, to make the most of the peace, the girls, plus Cody, Ricardo, and Luke, decided to spend the day at the beach. It was a combination of a relaxation day and a group date.

"_BEACH TIME!"_ The four girls shouted, as they jumped for joy while on the sand.

"This beach trip was a great idea, Blossom!" Bubbles said, as she showed off her bikini. "A nice chance to relax at the beach is just what we needed! And we needed some time with the boys, anyway!"

"Yeah, Blossom," Buttercup said. "This is going to be great!"

Each girl was wearing a swimsuit and they all had their own styles of swimsuit.

Blossom was wearing a two-piece red swimsuit with white polka dots. The bottom half of the swimsuit had a skirt to it, and while there were straps on the top half, the neckline was a V-neck. Blossom had her hair in its usual style: a high ponytail with a red ribbon.

"I just hope Luke likes the swimsuit I'm wearing," Blossom said. "I want to make sure my boyfriend knows I want him looking!"

She then made a pose that a surfer girl would make while standing in the water; she smiled and winked, while hearts flew out of her closed eye; she was shinning under the sun's light, and soon, Blossom was giggling and having a really good time.

"I'm sure Luke will like yours," Bubbles said, as she came forward. "I just wonder if _Cody_ will like the bikini I chose."

Bubbles was standing cutely while showing off her bikini: it was a baby blue two-piece with frills attached on both the bottom and the top; the design was that of pale blue, tropical flowers, and it came with a halter strap neckline. The frills on the bottom of the swimsuit made it look like Bubbles had a skirt on her swimsuit. She had her stuffed octopus, Octi, with her, and he was resting on her shoulder.

Bubbles giggled as she did a spin on one of her feet, and she said, "This swimsuit is almost as cute as my PowerPuff Girl outfit!"

"Don't mention that in public, Bubbles!" Buttercup said, as she put down the sports equipment she brought; Buttercup had brought badminton, a beach ball, her surfboard, etc.

Buttercup was wearing a medium green one-piece swimsuit with an open back, asymmetric neckline, and the trim was bright yellow. Buttercup also had a soccer ball design on the stomach and it came with a tie-on green belt that she was wearing.

"Your carefree attitudes are contagious," Bridgette said, as she set down the picnic basket. "I'm starting to feel really cheerful myself. I just hope you all like the picnic I made."

Bridgette was wearing a pale pink bikini with a sweetheart neckline. It had pink sequins on the top with ruffles, and the bottom had pink sequins, and some cupcakes on it. Bridgette was also wearing her hair in its usual style, which was down, as always. The only difference was that she added a waterproof barrette on her bangs to let her face show through.

"Knowing you, Bridgette, everything you have in that basket will be great to eat!" Blossom said, smiling. "Your desserts, especially!"

"That's certainly a given." A male voice said, and the girls turned around to see Cody, Ricardo, and Luke standing behind them.

The boys were carrying the parasols, beach blankets, and the heavier stuff that the girls could not carry on their own.

"Man, that's a nice workout, isn't it?" Cody said, as he stretched his arms after putting down the parasols.

Cody was wearing royal blue sandals, and his swimming trunks were also royal blue with stripes. Cody had brought a spare change of clothes, but Cody was not wearing a shirt; his muscles were very toned, and he had a six-pack abdomen that Bubbles found very attractive.

"You've been working out, Cody?" Buttercup asked; she was more curious about Bubbles' reaction than her own.

"I sure have." Cody said, with an adorable smile gracing his face.

Bubbles, not being able to bear it any more, ran into Cody's well-toned arms and he hugged Bubbles gently, while being careful not to loosen up.

"Cody may have put his nose to the grindstone working out, but I don't really need that kind of thing," Ricardo said, as he took off his sunglasses and hat. "Especially where my Buttercup is concerned."

Ricardo was wearing dark green swim trunks, with matching sandals. Like Cody, he was not wearing a shirt, but had a change of clothes packed. Ricardo had an eight-pack abdomen, but his muscles were not as toned as Cody. He learned from experience that extremely toned muscles make is hard to move around, as well as the fact that they could hurt, should he be hit.

Buttercup blushed; she was charmed that Ricardo had an eight-pack, but that alone did not make her love him. Buttercup also liked his sportiness and his lack of reaction to her sporty side.

"Well, muscles aside, we're here for a reason: to relax and have fun with our girls." Luke said.

He was wearing black swim trunks with black sandals. He was also still very self-conscious about his glasses; he was still wearing them, despite Blossom saying he looked better without them on. He had a six-pack abdomen, just like Cody; he was also carrying quite a load, and the girls were surprised about Luke's ability to carry so much.

"Talk about muscle power…" Bridgette said, with a subtle shudder.

"Luke, didn't I tell you to ditch those sunglasses?" Blossom asked, as she took the glasses off of Luke's face, and threw them away.

"Sorry, Blossom," Luke said, as he put the load down. "I told you this before: I'm self-conscious about my face. I can't help it; Mother Nature cursed me this way."

"Luke…" Blossom said, as she gave Luke a comforting hug to try making him feel better. Luke hugged her back, and the scene became warm and cheerful.

"Well, let's get started and have some fun!" Bubbles said.

Bubbles and Cody were splashing each other happily while they were standing in the water, closer to the shore. To Cody, Bubbles was sparkling brightly; the water droplets reflected light onto Bubbles, and her smile was glittering. Cody had hearts in his eyes as he watched Bubbles laugh and play in the water with him.

"You look so beautiful in that swimsuit, Bubbles!" Cody said, with a smile and a blush.

"Thanks, Cody." Bubbles said, cheerfully.

Blossom was watching as Luke started bench pressing some of the beach chairs the group brought; Luke was trying his best to look good for Blossom, and it worked. Blossom was blushing and cheering for Luke, who was smiling at his girlfriend, happily.

"Go for it, Luke!" Blossom said, smiling.

"Okay, cutie!" Luke said, winking at Blossom, and blushing, happy that he finally managed to get a girlfriend.

Ricardo and Buttercup were playing a game of one-on-one volleyball with each other. The match itself was close, but they were having a good time. Buttercup spiked the ball, but it hit Ricardo in the face, causing him to fall on his back into the sand.

"Ricardo!" Buttercup shouted, as she ran over to the other side of the net and got down on her knees to help Ricardo sit up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ricardo said, as he rubbed his face. "You pack a punch, Buttercup; I like a girl who can hit hard."

Buttercup blushed as Ricardo winked at her. She tried to act indifferent, but her red face gave her real emotions away.

While her buddies were having fun, Bridgette was under the parasol, wearing pink sunglasses, and guarding the picnic basket. She was watching her friends, Bridgette sighed with indifference.

"Look at them…" Bridgette said, emotionless. "They're all having fun with their significant others… While I have no one. Not that I care or want a significant other."

Bridgette took one of her chocolate chip scones out and ate it, while savoring its sweet taste. Bridgette ate silently as she watched her friends.

Feeling left out, Bridgette stood up, and stretched. Taking off her glasses, Bridgette decided to go for a walk to try clearing her head.

"Bridgette!" Bubbles called, as Bridgette was about to leave; Bridgette turned around to see her friends setting up the net for badminton. Bubbles was also holding a racket in her hand. "We're going to be playing a round of badminton; wanna join us?"

"No thanks," Bridgette said. "You guys go on ahead…"

Bridgette started walking along the beach, leaving her friends very confused; badminton was one of Bridgette's favorite sports.

"What's with Bridgette?" Buttercup asked.

"Maybe she feels left out." Blossom suggested.

"Why do you say that?" Cody asked.

"Well… Think about it: Bubbles has Cody; Buttercup has Ricardo; I have Luke. Yet Bridgette… She doesn't have a boyfriend." Blossom said.

"I don't blame her," Buttercup said. "Not after you-know-what."

The boys had been informed of Bridgette's past with romance; Ricardo had forgiven Bridgette for her behavior a _long_ time ago, while Luke and Cody were perfectly understanding of her situation.

"Yeah, I can see why she'd be adverse to romance," Cody said. "It's not like she doesn't deserve a happy ending."

"She does…" Blossom said. "But I wonder… Is there someone out there who really _is_ her prince charming?"

* * *

Meanwhile, on another spot on the beach, there was another boy. He was all on his own at the beach, as well. He had his blanket, his parasol, and other things set up, and he was ready to go out into the water and have some fun.

"Right! Now to have a good time." The boy said.

The boy had brown hair, which was short, and somewhat ruffled and unkempt, but on him, it looked good. His eyes were amber-yellow, he had a four-pack abdomen, and he was of average height; slightly taller than Bridgette, and he had smaller muscles. His swim trunks were yellow, as well.

"Cowabunga!" He shouted, as he ran into the water and started swimming; he was having a great time.

Diving under the water, he was swimming and darting in circles and many other directions before coming up for air at a slightly farther distance from the shore.

"This is really refreshing," He said, as he treaded water. "I'm so glad dad finally managed to settle down somewhere; what better place than New Townsville?"

He then dove under the water once again to swim and have a good time. He managed to swim through some seaweed and he spun around; unfortunately, a fairly long piece of seaweed got tied to his leg, and as he rose up, his leg tugged on the seaweed. The current was pulling him down, as well.

He started struggling to keep above water, and he went under for a second before coming back up.

"Ack! I can't swim out of this spot! Help!" He shouted, albeit he felt that no one could hear him at the moment.

Back with Bridgette, who was nearby on the sand, she was walking along, feeling down on her luck, and really sad.

"The girls really seem happy with those three…" Bridgette said, as she was walking. "They have their princes charming… It's all coming up roses for those three. But why should I care?! Prince Charming… there's no such person!"

Bridgette kept walking a little more briskly, partially from anger; she slowed down a little bit, and said, "Love… I know there's the love of family… And such things… But…"

Bridgette started walking briskly again, and she grumbled, "I don't need a so-called Prince Charming! I can find my own happy ending without a prince charming! Not like there's someone out there for me anyway!"

However, she heard screaming coming from the water; looking in the voice's direction, she saw the boy struggling to keep above water.

"I can't get a sense of the situation!" One of the lifeguards said, as he scrambled for a pair of binoculars; he could not find one.

"He's in trouble!" Bridgette said. _'I may not be in PowerPuff Girls Z form right now, but I still need to help!'_

Bridgette started to run to the water; one of the lifeguards shouted after her, but Bridgette did not listen to him.

"Don't worry! I'm coming!"Bridgette shouted, as she picked up speed to go in and rescue the boy.

Back at their spot, Blossom and the others were eating the picnic, being careful to set some food aside for Bridgette.

"Bridgette isn't back yet," Bubbles said. "I wonder what she's doing?"

"Who knows?" Buttercup said. "Maybe she found a pastry shop on the shore and decided to go check it out."

"Maybe, but I'm a little worried," Luke said. "We should go look for her."

"Good idea." Blossom said, as she put down one of the cookies Bridgette had made.

Bridgette, meanwhile, dove into the water, and she started to swim, very quickly.

She soon caught up to the boy, who immediately went under the water; Bridgette took a deep breath and she dove under the water. She swam a few feet down, and soon saw what was keeping the boy under.

'_I get it! That seaweed has his leg tangled and the current is pulling him down!' _Bridgette thought, as she saw this and decided to do something about it.

She swam a little father down, went around, and she grabbed the seaweed; she used both of her hands, and with a snap of her wrists, she broke the seaweed and freed the boy's leg.

The boy started to sink a little bit from the current; Bridgette, not about to let him drown, grabbed him by under his arms, and went up to the surface for air. Breaking through the water, Bridgette gasped a bit, and she started to tread water for a little bit.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" Bridgette said, as she started using her legs and her only arm to swim to shore; she did not stop, nor did she care about how heavy the boy was in reality.

The boy was out cold, but for some reason, he could hear Bridgette's voice.

'_Whose voice is that…? That… That heavenly voice…' _The boy thought, while still unconscious.

Bridgette managed to get him on shore. Laying him down on the sand, Bridgette looked around to see if the scene was safe to perform first aid. She nodded in confirmation of how the safety was. She put her ear to the boy's chest, and she did not hear any breathing or beating of his heart.

"No breathing…! No way! I won't let him die!" Bridgette said, and then she began to perform CPR on him.

* * *

The others were looking around for Bridgette; everyone was scattered along the beach, trying to find their pink-eyed friend.

"Bridgette!" Buttercup shouted. "Where are you, girl? We've been waiting for a while."

"Yo! Bridgette! Where are you?" Ricardo shouted. "You're missing out on your own cooking!"

"Bridgette!" Luke also shouted. "We're getting a little bored without you, here!"

Bubbles noticed something in the distance, and she saw Bridgette giving the boy breaths.

"There she is! And it looks like she's kissing a boy!" Bubbles said, pointing to Bridgette.

"Really?" Buttercup asked, a little surprised; she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

Looking a little closer, squinting his eyes, and soon realizing the real situation, Luke said, "Wait, that's not kissing…"

"It's not?" Blossom asked, as she stepped forward. "If those two aren't kissing, then what else could it be? It's not like…"

"That's CPR!" Luke shouted, interrupting. He was shocked at the events unfolding. "That boy's in trouble!"

"Let's go!" Cody shouted, as the group then ran to Bridgette's location.

Bridgette pinched the boy's nose, opened his airway, and gave him two breaths; she saw his chest rise twice, and then she started giving him a round of compressions on his chest.

'_Don't worry! I'll save you!'_ Bridgette thought, really worried about his well being.

The rest of her friends showed up to see what was going on; as Bridgette was doing compressions, she looked up, and said, "Stay back! This isn't a safe spot right now!"

"Bridgette, we've been looking all over the beach for you!" Blossom said.

"Sorry, but I'm saving a life right now," Bridgette said, as she finished the round of compressions and she began to give the boy breaths again; she did two breaths, and she immediately started back on the compressions. "I hope he isn't dead…"

However, the boy coughed out the water that had gotten into his lungs and then he started gasping for air; he sat up, his eyes still closed, and he was coughing a little bit.

"Are you okay?" Bridgette asked, as she put one arm around his waist and the other on his chest.

The boy's eyes slowly opened, and as his vision cleared up, he saw Bridgette; in the sunlight, she was sparkling, while still dripping wet. The light reflecting off the sequins of her swimsuit made her look radiant. He blushed, and the sight of her pastel pink eyes caused his heart to throb. She slowly blinked, her face filled with concern; Bridgette's eyes mesmerized the boy.

'_Who… Who is this…? This angel?' _The boy thought, as he saw Bridgette. _'Who are you…?'_

He nodded, and Bridgette smiled and sighed in relief while saying, "Oh, what a relief…"

The boy blushed harder as he saw Bridgette's smile. He just melted at the sight of her beauty.

The lifeguards then came around, and one of them said, "We'll take it from here, miss."

"Thank you," Bridgette said, standing up; the lifeguards helped the boy stand up, as well. "Please make sure he's fine."

"With the way you helped him out with that CPR of yours, I bet he will be." The lifeguard said.

"Shall we get back to the picnic, girls?" Bridgette asked, as she turned around to her friends.

"Let's." Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup said, as they headed back to their spot on the beach.

The boy was blushing while he watched Bridgette leave with her friends; he kept an eye on her, and saw how cute she was with her smile, her eyes, and her giggle.

* * *

Later at the lab, the girls had gotten back from the beach, but they were talking about Bridgette's rescue rather than how much fun they had at the beach.

"Wow, Bridgette, I didn't know you knew first aid and CPR." Blossom commented, as she put the basket down.

"Sorry," Bridgette said. "It's an emergency procedure, so I only use it when it's necessary."

"Nice quick rescue back there," Buttercup said. "I'm impressed; that boy could have died if not for you."

"Oh, this is something out of "The Little Mermaid", isn't it?" Bubbles said, blushing and fantasizing. "If the two of you meet up again, chances are he's fallen in love with you, the mermaid girl who saved his life! Isn't that romantic?"

"Very funny, Bubbles," Bridgette said, sarcastically, as she was not that pleased with the analogy. "Not unheard of, yet it's not funny."

"You might not think it's funny, but Bubbles' situation with Cody was something out of 'Beauty And The Beast', don't you think?" Blossom inquired.

"That's true," Bridgette said, with an aggravated sigh. "But you _know _how I feel about this. There's no Prince Charming out there for me; maybe for the three of you, but there's no one for me. Besides, what are the chances we'll ever see that boy again, anyway?"

"You're probably right." Buttercup said.

Meanwhile, the boy was in the hospital for a checkup; he was lying awake in the bed, thinking about the girl who saved his life. He had no idea what her name was, but he did not dwell on it.

"Who was she?" He asked aloud. "That beautiful girl…"

The boy was so mesmerized by Bridgette's beauty that he almost forgot what was happening. He found himself lapsing into fantasy mode.

_~Fantasy~_

The boy jumped into the water at the beach, wearing his yellow swim trunks and no shirt. He was swimming in the water while fully submerged.

Underneath him was a bright light, and soon, up came Bridgette, her hair down, with seashells in it; she was wearing a pale pink seashell bra, and she had a matching colored mermaid tail. She flirtatiously blinked at the boy, with a sultry look in her eyes.

The boy had hearts in his eyes as he and Bridgette started dancing in the water together.

"I wish I knew your name…" The boy said, as he and Bridgette were dancing.

"Same to you…" Bridgette replied to him, with a giggle.

Bridgette and the boy were about to share a kiss, but…

'_Son… Son… SON, WAKE UP!'_

_~Fantasy Ends Like Shattering Glass~_

"Gah!" The boy said, as he woke up from his daydream. He looked up to see an older man with hazel eyes, and brown hair, standing beside a doctor.

"Dad!" The boy said, as he gently sat up.

"Joshua Isaiah Jones…" The older man said. "I was scared half to death when the hospital called me about you nearly drowning!"

"I don't think you have to worry, Professor Jones," The doctor said. "According to the lifeguards, the girl who rescued him was very good at performing CPR on your son. Josh is going to be in perfect shape in time for his first day at school."

Josh blushed in the face as he heard mention of the girl who saved his life.

"Son, are you okay?" Josh's father asked.

Hearts were fluttering around Josh's head as he relaxed back into the bed, while muttering, "Oh, who was that girl? That pink-eyed angel…?"

Josh's father and the doctor looked at one another in confusion; the doctor said, "Well, Hector, it seems that your son is playing the role of the prince from "The Little Mermaid". He's fallen in love with the nameless girl who saved his life."

Josh did not seem to be listening; his behavior only seemed to mirror exactly what the doctor had said: he was in love.

* * *

Around a day or two later, Josh was at the girls' school. He was at his newly assigned locker, and he had it opened. He was putting a few of his books into his locker while still thinking about Bridgette.

'_That girl… I wish I knew who she was… She saved my life. I want to return the favor… No, I want to make her mine.' _Josh thought, as he took a few more of his books out of his locker and into his book bag.

Josh picked up his bag and then he sighed, disappointed that his heroine had disappeared without a trace. No name, nothing.

"It's time for Humanities class!" Bridgette's voice said, piercing through the silence.

Josh heard it repeat in his ears a few times. He turned around, and soon, he saw Bridgette, on her knees, packing her bag for class. Josh blushed as he saw the girl who saved his life.

Bridgette stood up, revealing her usual in-school clothing. She was once again sparkling. Her eyes looked in the direction of the hallway, albeit Josh saw her pale pink irises. Bridgette was shining so brightly that Josh had to shield himself for a little bit. Bridgette then started walking towards her next class, going right past Josh, yet not noticing him. She was leaving sparkles in her wake; Josh caught a few of the sparkles in his hands; Bridgette was soon a few feet away. Josh let go of the sparkles, and they floated up into the air for a few seconds; Josh blushed, and he smiled with a goofy, love-struck grin on his face.

"It's her!" Josh said, as he smiled at seeing the girl he loved once again.

Looking around for someone to ask, he saw Cody at his locker; recognizing him, Josh ran over to Cody, and tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning to Josh, Cody recognized him, and said, "Oh, you're that boy from the beach the other day."

"Yes, my name is Josh Jones." Josh said, introducing himself.

"It's nice to meet you," Cody said. "What can I do for you?"

"The girl who saved me! Over there," Josh said, pointing towards Bridgette. "Who is she?! What's her name?!"

"Oh, you mean Bridgette?" Cody asked, with a calm smile. "She's one of the best friends of my girlfriend, Bubbles. Bridgette's an amazing baker and she's very smart, too."

Josh got hearts in his eyes and then he said, in a voice that seemed like worship, "Bridgette…"

Josh fell against the lockers, with a love-struck look on his face, hearts floating around him, and he said, "Oh… Her name is so angelic! The eternals have blessed with her a name as wonderful as that!"

"You haven't fallen in love with her, have you?" Cody said, with a slight hint of concern.

"I think… No, I _know_ I've fallen for her…" Josh said; he grabbed Cody by the shoulders. "Cody, _please!_ You _have_ to set me up on a date with that chocolate-haired goddess; she's gracing this school with her kindness and her beauty!"

"Whoa, dude," Cody said, pushing Josh off of him. "Sorry, but I don't play matchmaker. I just don't think it's right meddling with love affairs of others. I'm not Cupid. And besides, Bridgette's a tough nut to crack when it comes to love."

Josh then sighed sadly at hearing this news; he soon thought things over for a few seconds, and then he said, "I guess I'll just ask her out myself. It will just be Bridgette and me, one-on-one, no one else interrupting us. "

However, he did not seem to take into account what Cody had said about Bridgette being 'a tough nut to crack'.

"That's exactly how it should be done." Cody said, with an approving nod. _'I just hope he's ready for the inevitable rejection…'_

Around an hour later, Bridgette was at her locker, putting a few of her books away; Josh came up behind her, and tapped her on the shoulder.

Bridgette turned around, and she saw Josh; he said, "Hi."

"Wait… Aren't you…?" Bridgette said, recognizing.

"I'm that boy you saved at the beach the other day," Josh said, with a blush, and a smile. "My name is Josh Jones."

"Oh, hi," Bridgette said, with a smile. "Are you okay after what happened at the beach?"

"I am," Josh said, blushing. "But it's all thanks to you."

Bridgette blushed, and she shyly said, "I'm sure if anyone else saw you, lifeguard or not, they would have done the same thing. I was so worried."

'_Okay, here goes…' _Josh thought. "So… Bridgette, will you… Go…"

However, Bridgette's belt started beeping, and she then sweat dropped, thinking, _'Not NOW!'_

"Bridgette, will you go…" Josh was about to say, but…

"I'm sorry, Josh… But… I gotta use the bathroom!" Bridgette interrupted, before turning on her heel and running.

"Hey, Bridgette, wait!" Josh said, about to chase after her; Cody pulled him back by the shoulder, and shook his head.

Josh then started shedding tears as he missed his chance to win over the girl who saved him.

"Oh, darn…" Josh said, sniveling a little bit.

Bridgette managed to meet up with the girls at the roof, and she said, "Sorry I'm late!"

"That's okay, Bridgette; we just got here ourselves." Blossom said.

"Hey, remember that boy I performed CPR on a few days ago?" Bridgette asked, jerking her thumb backwards.

"Yeah, that boy you saved." Bubbles said, with a nod.

"Would you believe he's actually here at our school?" Bridgette said.

"No way!" Buttercup said.

"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to turn into something more for you?" Blossom said, almost teasingly.

"Don't start…" Bridgette said. "Let's just go clobber some monsters."

"_OKAY!"_ The girls said, ready to take on the challenge.

The girls then raised up their hands, and their rings formed.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z!"_

The girls flew off the roof to go to stop the trouble.

Back with Josh, he was sulking a little bit; he felt like Bridgette's need to use the bathroom was just an automatic 'no' to his date offer. He hit his head against his locker in frustration.

"Man… How do I get her to know how I feel about her?" Josh asked aloud.

Josh then had a bit of a flashback.

_~Flashback – Around Three To Four years ago~_

Josh, in his younger years, was running around the house, being careful not to knock anything over; he soon saw his father, Hector giving his mother, May, a bouquet of red roses.

Josh saw how beautiful the flowers were, and he said, "Wow, dad! Those flowers are pretty!"

"Hahaha… Well, son, so is your mother." Hector said, before giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"Josh, son, do you know what the colors of roses mean?" May asked.

"Rose colors have meanings to them?" Josh asked.

"They sure do," Hector said. "For example, red for passionate love. Give the person you love around fifty or so roses, and it means limitless and endless love."

"Wow!" Josh said, as his eyes sparkled.

_~End of Flashback~_

"I got it! I hope that Bridgette likes what I have in mind." Josh said, as he soon got out a sketchpad out and started to draw a few things onto the paper.

'_Oh, my angel… I know I'm merely a mortal unworthy of you, but you saved my life… And I… I've…' _Josh thought, going red in the face as he felt his heart throb.

Meanwhile, the girls were fighting Mojo again, and Bridgette was getting _very bored_. However, just as she was about to deliver the final blow, her sixth sense kicked in. She shuddered a bit, nearly dropping her swords, but she managed to get a grip; literally.

"Bridgette, what happened?" Blossom asked.

"Just my sixth sense kicking in," Bridgette said. "Nothing to get excited about, though."

"Are you sure?" Bubbles asked, as she had just caught Mojo in one of her Bubbles. "We know that when your sixth sense kicks in, trouble is about."

"For some reason, I don't feel threatened by it this time…" Bridgette said, as she became serious in the face.

"Maybe it's good news?" Buttercup suggested.

"We'll see," Bridgette said. "But meanwhile, let's kick this monkey in the rump!"

The girls then used a combination move and clobbered Mojo, sending him flying, as usual.

"Now let's head back to school…" Bridgette said. "I don't know why, but Josh seemed to have something really important to say."

The girls merely looked at each other; they had a pretty good idea what Josh had to ask her.

"We'd better hurry." Blossom said.

Once the girls got back to the school, the rest of the day came and went without so much as a disturbance.

However…

"_**What?!"**_ Bubbles shouted, as she was talking to Cody; the two of them were walking home together.

"Yep…" Cody said.

"I _knew it!_" Bubbles said, as her eyes began to twinkle while she thought of the romantic story Bridgette was beginning to live. "Bridgette is literally living a fairytale love story!"

"Maybe in our viewpoints. But Bridgette might not think of it that way," Cody said. "I wonder how Josh is going to take it."

"I wouldn't be too pessimistic about it, Cody," Bubbles said. "Josh may be the boy that Bridgette needs to help her realize that love _can _exist for her!"

Cody nodded in agreement, but his facial expression said otherwise.

* * *

The next day at school, a lot of the students in the girls' classroom were crowded around Bridgette's desk for some reason.

"Hey, what's going on?" Bridgette asked Ernie.

"Looks like someone has eyes for you, Bridgette," Ernie said. "Take a look!"

Bridgette then politely made her way through the crowd and her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw: a Pyrex vase filled with three dozen roses; half were lavender, half were red.

"Now who could have sent me _this_?" Bridgette said, albeit she had a tone of voice that said she already knew.

Bridgette glared at Randy; she assumed it was another of Randy's dumb jokes, probably as payback for that one time with Luke. However, Randy shook his head in denial; Bridgette got the message.

She took a better look at the flowers, and saw how well cared for and beautiful they were.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup came in and saw Bridgette looking at the roses and her confused face.

"Bridgette, where did the roses come from?" Blossom asked.

"That's what _I'd_ like to know." Bridgette said, sighing, with a drop of sweat going down the back of her head.

Josh, meanwhile, was standing outside the classroom, waiting for Bridgette to read his card aloud and maybe come to see him as a potential boyfriend.

'_I hope she likes the flowers.' _Josh thought, eager to hear her reaction.

"Hey look, there's a card." Buttercup said, pointing to a card that was tired onto the vase via a ribbon that was included.

"Let's see…" Bridgette said, as she read the card aloud. "It says, _'This bouquet of roses will convey how hard I've fallen in love with you. Like the mermaid in the story, you saved my life, and I have fallen hard in return. – Josh Jones'_ What?!"

"Josh sent those?" Blossom asked.

"He must really be in love with you to do something like this." Buttercup said.

"Love? Me? No way! No how! As if!" Bridgette said, frantically denying any possibility that Josh would have fallen for her.

Josh, hearing this, grew distraught; he hung his head in failure and he felt like his whole world collapsed.

"But it's not unheard of for someone to fall in love with a person who saved him or her." Bubbles said, in Josh's defense.

Josh perked up a little bit at this.

"Maybe so… But you know how my views on romance are," Bridgette said. "It's going to take more than this to convince me."

Josh then sighed a little bit; he thought, _'If I'm going to win Bridgette over, I'll have to prove it.'_

"Another question I have is how he found the classroom," Buttercup said. "None of us ever told him."

"Maybe Cody did?" Bubbles suggested.

"That's the most logical thing we can think of at this point, Bubbles." Bridgette sighed, crossing her arms.

Josh looked into the classroom, yet stayed out of sight, and as he looked at Bridgette's facial expression, he blushed, thinking, _'Why does Bridgette have such a bad attitude towards romance?'_

However, he got his head away as he noticed Bridgette was about to look up at him. Josh took a deep breath, and he said aloud, "I'm not giving up. One way or another, I'm going to win her over."

Josh started to walk to his next class. Meanwhile, Bridgette smiled just a little bit as she gently touched one of the petals of one of the lavender roses. She blushed just a tiny bit, too.

'_I guess… Maybe he's not a bad guy.'_ Bridgette thought, as she subtly took a sniff of the roses Josh left for her.

Soon, the scene changed to having Josh walk through the halls, in love and determined, while another panel had Bridgette looking at the roses longingly.

* * *

**And here's the boy who may or may not become Bridgette's prince! Assuming she's going to let go of the past long enough to get to know Josh. The poor guy is the prince of "The Little Mermaid", and Bridgette is the mermaid, but the poor twist is that the feeling isn't mutual! But the question now is will it ever be? That's… Up. To. ME! Hahahaha! I know you hate being left hanging with these things, but I just love it when people want more.**

**Next time…**

**Bridgette: It's bad enough that this Josh person is **_**supposedly**_** in love with me, but now I have to become an actress and be his leading lady?! Is the universe out to get me or something?!**

**Josh: Bridgette, I know you're going to be a great princess! And I know I've said this before, but I love you.**

**Blossom: Come on, Bridgette, give him a chance! He's just grateful for you saving his life, I'm sure. **

**Bubbles: But what's with this script?! It's not just one fairytale, but several mashed up into one! And **_**I'm**_** the fairy godmother here!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Today we're placing Bridgette and Josh into a fairytale with a few twists; one of them being Bridgette's attitude towards romance. Not that any of the girls can blame her. Bridgette and Josh are cast as the leads of the school-wide play. As expected, Bridgette is not too happy about it. The role is fine, it's the kisses she's worried about. Will Bridgette **_**Let It Go**_** long enough to let Josh **_**Kiss The Girl**_**? We'll see what happens. After all, **_**Happily Ever After**_** doesn't happen through fate; you need to make it happen on your own.**

* * *

_Bridgette's So-Called 'Happy Ending'_

A spotlight came on out of nowhere, and Josh, standing inside of it, was wearing a tuxedo. He held out his hand randomly, and he said, "Shall we dance, _mon amor_?"

Another spotlight came on, and it revealed Bridgette, wearing a ballroom gown, in pink, with a magenta sash that had a bow in the back. She was wearing elbow-length, pale pink gloves, and no makeup was on her face at all.

She had a facial expression of love and sultriness in her eyes and she smiled, saying, "Yes."

Bridgette and Josh got into position for a waltz, and started to waltz together. Josh dipped Bridgette, before pulling her back up, and they did an underarm spin together. Just as Bridgette and Josh were about to kiss…

_~Fantasy End~_

Josh had started drooling as he kept imagining himself and Bridgette in the shoes of the characters in a romance-genre comic book he was reading. The plotline was somewhat similar to Josh's position and history with Bridgette, but the feeling was mutual right off the bat. Hearts were fluttering over his head, and he was, overall, smitten with Bridgette on a really high level.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls were standing outside the school, in front of the school billboard. They were looking at one of the posters; in fact, it was the biggest one in the center of the board. The girls were looking at the board with a combination of surprise and shock.

"You've _GOT_ to be kidding me…" Buttercup said, as she looked at the poster.

"A school-wide play?! That sounds like fun!" Blossom said.

"The _entire_ student body is going to be participating one way or another. Some of them are going to handle props, others will be actors, others will be understudies, and some students are going to be the tech crew, costume designers, set designers, etc." Bridgette said, as she read the poster.

"Yeah," Bubbles said. "I wonder what the play is going to be about? And I also can't wait to see who's going to be the lead roles."

"Maybe it's _'Sleeping Beauty'_, and Luke and I are the prince and princess!" Blossom said.

She had a fantasy about Luke, dressed as the prince, with Blossom dressed as the princess, with the two of them performing the scene where the kiss wakes the princess up.

"Or maybe it's _'Beauty And The Beast'_, with me and Cody as the lead roles!" Bubbles said, as she became cheerful.

She imagined herself dressed as Disney's Belle, only her dress was in blue, and her hair was still the same. Bubbles was dancing with Cody, who was still in monster form. Cody was also dressed in the suit that Beast wore during the dance scene between Belle and Beast.

"It could be _'Aladdin'_, though. Ricardo as Aladdin, me as Jasmine." Buttercup said.

She imagined herself, dressed in a green version of Jasmine's main outfit for the movie, with Ricardo dressed as 'Prince Ali' during the scene of _'A Whole New World'_. The carpet was still the same, and Buttercup still had her hair in the same style as always.

"Or maybe the three of you are being very naïve." Bridgette said, cutting into the girls' fantasies.

The girls turned to Bridgette, who had a cross look on her face, and her arms were folded over her chest; her eyebrows were also twitching a little bit. Overall, she looked upset.

"What are you talking about?" Blossom asked. "Are you so pessimistic about romance?"

"No, it's not that. You three might want to look at the footnote." Bridgette said, pointing to the bottom of the poster.

The girls took a closer look. Bubbles said, "The story is called, _'Poisoned Beauty'_. Apparently, the plotline is going to be a combination of Cinderella, Snow White, and Romeo and Juliet."

"How are they going to fit in all of those scenes into one story?" Blossom asked.

"They're just combining the more memorable scenes of the stories and putting them in the appropriate places." Bridgette said.

"I wonder if it will have a sad ending like _'Romeo and Juliet'_?" Buttercup said.

"Let's hope not." Bubbles said, really worried about the play itself; she hated tragedies.

"Maybe it will be the part where the heroine has to wear the slipper and reunite with the prince, like in _'Cinderella'_?" Blossom suggested, as she imagined Luke putting one on of the shoes Cinderella had to wear to reunite with the prince.

"Or maybe it's going to be a wake-up kiss thing like in _'Snow White' _or _'Sleeping Beauty'_?" Bridgette said, but she shuddered at the kiss portion of the statement; she kept remembering Bosco's kisses, and how angry she got when she was kissed on the cheek.

"Speaking of wake-up kisses," Buttercup said, looking towards Bridgette, slyly. "I think Bridgette here needs a kiss on the lips to help her wake up and look at reality where love is concerned; a certain someone really likes her, after she saved his life at the beach."

"Oh, Buttercup, don't even _START_ with me_!_" Bridgette said, going red in the face and talking sternly; she did not like what was being said. "We all know that when it comes to romance, I just don't see how it can apply to…"

However, out of nowhere, she was hugged from behind. The arms of this person wrapped around her chest, and his head was then rested on one of her shoulders; Bridgette tried to get out, but for some reason, she failed; this person's arms were strong.

"There you are, my heavenly beauty." A familiar voice said, and everyone knew it.

The girls looked to see Josh hugging Bridgette from behind; he was really happy to see Bridgette, and his lovelorn, goofy smile made that obvious. He was chuckling, too.

"Wh-What are you doing, Josh?!" Bridgette said, surprised at this sudden behavior of Josh's.

"Can't a guy show affection for the girl who saved his life and stole his heart?" Josh asked, pretending to be hurt.

Bridgette growled a little bit, and she said, calmly, "Please get off of me, Josh."

Josh complied and let go of Bridgette; he asked, "What do you think about that school-wide play we're going to be participating in?"

"As long as I'm not the lead, or even a supporting character, I'm fine. Being in the ensemble is enough for me." Bridgette said, crossing her arms and turning her face away.

"Oh…" Josh said, feigning a pout.

"Bridgette certainly isn't catching on to how Josh feels about her…" Blossom said.

"Why would she catch Josh's feelings?" Bubbles asked. "Emotions are intangible, aren't they? Or at least, shouldn't they be?"

Blossom and Buttercup sweat dropped at this comment.

"So… You don't imagine… You know… you and me… As the lead roles?" Josh asked, while blushing, and he tried to not sound like a womanizer; he seemed really embarrassed.

Bridgette blushed at bit when she heard this, but rather than saying 'yes', she said, "I _can_ imagine it, honestly. However, I don't like the idea of it _at all_. Makes me want to gag. But what are the chances you and I are even going to _be_ in the main cast, anyway? There are at least a few hundred students at the school; who knows who the lead parts are going to be. And even if we _were_ playing the lead roles, that doesn't meant it's going to end well for the both of us. And you and me having to kiss? I'd rather burn a cake."

Josh sweat dropped and chuckled sheepishly; Bridgette had a point, but he was not expecting her to act so negative towards the prospect of it.

'_I'll never fall in love ever again! EVER!' _Bridgette thought, being stubborn.

However, there was clapping from the side, and the group of five turned around to see the principal clapping.

"I really like that attitude of yours, Bridgette!" The principal said. "You'll be perfect!"

"Perfect for what?" Bridgette asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"We've been conflicted on who should play the heroine. And seeing how you handle yourself, you have great poise and ability when talking," The principal said, as he smiled. "So, we've decided! Bridgette Hamilton, you're going to be the princess!"

Bridgette looked at the principal in shock.

"Wh-Wh… _**WHAT THE HEY?!**_" Bridgette shouted, as the principal left the girls' company. "Me? The princess?! You're kidding me… How did _I_ end up in this mess?!"

"Oh, boy…" Buttercup said. "Looks like Bridgette's nightmare is coming true…"

"Now the question is, if _you're_ the princess, then… Who's the prince going to be?" Blossom said. "Oh, I hope it's not Luke! If there's a kiss…! Oh, man, who knows?!"

Blossom started to panic and worry over the thought of Bridgette having to kiss Luke in the act; Blossom knew it would have been fake anyway, but it still bothered her for some strange reason.

"Oh, don't worry about the prince's actor," Josh said, as he took Bridgette's hand, got down on one knee, and he looked up to her with a chivalrous, loving smile. "Because my dream just came true! This makes me really happy to be in the play with you, Bridgette!"

Bridgette went red in the face as she saw what Josh was doing; she felt really embarrassed, yet flattered at the same time. However, she was _not_ liking the situation at all. Bridgette then tried to say something, but she could not get the words out.

"Excuse me?" Bubbles asked, as she was confused at hearing this.

"This is why I was asking if Bridgette could see the two of us as the lead roles of the play: I'm playing the prince!" Josh said, as he blushed, while smiling shyly at Bridgette.

"_WHAT?!"_ The four girls shouted, in surprise.

Standing up, taking Bridgette's hands, and pulling Bridgette closer to him, Josh told Bridgette, "I can't wait to start rehearsing with you, Bridgette. You're my destined lover."

Bridgette went red in the face, out of embarrassment, and she stammered, _"D-D-D-DON'T KID AROUND! IDIOT!"_

* * *

Later, in the girls' classroom, Bridgette was laying her head on the table, with one of her hands on her head. She looked really upset and confused; like the night Buttercup was confused about whether or not to cheer for Panda Face McGraff or her father when she went on a date with Danny Wilson all that time ago.

"Bridgette, don't be so upset," Blossom said. "It should be a dream come true for you; you have a prince who wants you as his princess!"

"Hey, don't even go there," Bridgette said. "I might have saved his life, but I don't need some phony prince sweeping me off my feet; nor do I _want_ one! And of all people, it had to be Josh!"

"Come on, Bridgette; please don't be so stubborn about love," Bubbles said. "Cody and I are as happy as can be; Blossom finally found a boyfriend, after her streak of bad luck with love; Buttercup has a boyfriend who thinks she's amazing as the tomboy she is."

Buttercup spoke up, and she said, "You deserve a boy who loves and cherishes you for you. Not like that former boyfriend of yours."

"_PLEASE_ don't bring him up," Bridgette said. "Can we just drop the subject or at least change it? I won't fall in love, no matter what happens!"

The girls looked at one another in concern before sighing and going back to their seats; they decided not to argue with Bridgette on the issue. Class was about to start for the girls, anyway.

Back with Josh in another classroom, he was looking through the comic book that he was reading earlier. Again, hearts were fluttering around his head, and his face had a lovesick smile.

"Oh… Bridgette, my love…" Josh said, as hearts replaced his yellow-amber eyes.

Luke and Ricardo, who were looking at him, with confusion in their faces, were watching Josh.

"Have you noticed how Josh acts whenever Bridgette is either around him or on his mind?" Luke asked Ricardo.

"Yeah," Ricardo said. "He's _definitely_ in love with Bridgette."

"I think that learning that he's the prince in the school-wide play has started to play with his head; I'll bet he's fantasizing about him and Bridgette in the same situations as the prince and the princess in this play." Luke said.

"That makes perfect sense," Ricardo said. "I don't blame him, either. If Buttercup saved my life at the beach, I probably would be head-over-heels for her, too."

The boys looked at Josh, who just hugged the comic, as he sported a silly, lovesick smile on his face once again.

"Yep, he's helplessly in love." Ricardo and Luke said together, nodding to each other.

Later, in the auditorium, everyone was getting ready for the play. It was really big, seeing as how almost every student in the school was helping out.

Blossom and Luke were on tech crew; it was helpful that Luke was insanely strong and was able to do most of the heavy lifting, whilst Blossom was there for extra muscle in the event Luke had some problems.

"You can do it, Luke!" Blossom said, confident in her boyfriend.

Buttercup and Ricardo were helping out with painting the sets. Ricardo was organizing the paint cans to avoid problems and end up painting the wrong thing in the wrong color, or vise-versa. Buttercup was doing most of the painting work while trying to keep herself from getting covered in the stuff.

"Great work, Buttercup," Ricardo said. "Bubbles must really be helping you out with your artistic senses."

"You can say that…" Buttercup said.

Bubbles was doing the fitting for her costume; she was playing the fairy godmother in the story. Cody, on the other hand, was doing the measurements for most of the costumes and organizing the costumes by gender and role.

"You're looking great, Bubbles," Cody said, as he saw how cute Bubbles looked in her robe for the costume. "Now if only you and I were the actual leads."

Bridgette, meanwhile, was reading over the script, trying to make sense of the plot of the play.

"So, essentially, like in _'Snow White'_, the heroine runs away from home after learning her stepmother is jealous of her, then she infiltrates a masked ball like Romeo in _'Romeo and Juliet'_, and after she dances with the prince, she flees once she sees her stepmother attend, and loses her shoe, like in _'Cinderella'_ out of fear of getting caught. However, her stepmother recognizes her through the mask… Blah, blah, blah… And soon, the stepmother poisons her with cake, as opposed to an apple like in _'Snow White'_… There." Bridgette said, as she looked over the script.

Bridgette was also getting fitted for her costumes; she would have to do several costume changes for the entire play. There would be her dress for the ball, her casual dress, etc., but Bridgette was not so worried about the play itself; her main concern was the kiss scenes.

"Bridgette, you look amazing in that dress," Josh said, as he approached, blushing. "You're as angelic now as you were in that beautiful swimsuit."

"Thanks…" Bridgette said, with a sweat drop. "You're not too shabby, yourself."

"Oh, this?" Josh said, as he revealed his outfit. "It's nothing, really."

He was wearing a yellow military jacket with gold epaulets and buttons, as well as matching, gold pants and black shoes. As for the crown, the costume designers deemed it unnecessary.

Bridgette was blushing; she was more concerned about keeping herself out of an embarrassing situation where kisses were required.

"I'm really excited for this," Josh said, as he took Bridgette's hand. "I'm especially looking forward to the kisses."

'_That's right… I have to KISS Josh…' _Bridgette thought, as her face reddened. "I… I'm _NOT_ happy about that. At all."

Josh looked hurt, and he then said, "Why not? I like – no, _love_ you, after all. Don't you feel the same?"

"Not even close," Bridgette muttered, but just loud enough to make herself clear. "I vowed to myself that I would never fall in love ag…"

However, there was a creaking noise from above; looking up, Josh saw that one of the lights broke off and was falling towards them.

"_DUCK!_" Josh shouted; he tackled Bridgette to the ground, out of the way of the light. The light landed on the ground, and the glass from the bulb shattered.

Bridgette found herself underneath Josh's body; she was going red in the face from embarrassment and she struggled to get out from underneath.

"J-Josh… P-Please get off of me!" Bridgette said, angry, and about to get out from underneath, but Josh grabbed her hand and pinned her down. Bridgette started to tremble, and Josh noticed.

"Calm down, Bridgette," Josh said, gently. "I just didn't want you to get hurt; there's still glass shards on the ground, so if you move around, you could get cut."

Bridgette turned her head and saw that Josh was right; glass was all over the floor and Josh was trying to keep her from moving around so she would not get hurt.

'_He's right… Josh was trying to protect me. _That guy_ never tried to make me feel safe or even acted like he cared… But Josh…' _Bridgette thought; her heart throbbed and she went pink. She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling. _'No, no, no! I'm never falling in love again! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!'_

After the glass was cleaned up, the rehearsals continued; Josh and Bridgette were running lines together, but the situation between them was a little awkward.

"Okay, now here's the scene where the prince sees the heroine comatose on the ground, and kisses her out of grief," Josh said. "And in turn, she wakes up, and it's a happy ending for the two of them."

"Ready…" Bridgette said, as she laid down on the stage, while Josh got ready to read his lines.

"All right. *Ahem* _Oh, my love… In grief… my love will ultimately poison me, as well…_" Josh said, as he then towered over Bridgette, and started to lean in for a kiss.

Bridgette squeezed her eyes shut and her heart was pounding out of anxiety. Josh was just shy of her lips, by about a centimeter, when he pulled away, much to Bridgette's surprise.

She sat up, and Bridgette asked, "Josh, why did you stop?"

"You didn't want a kiss, right?" Josh asked, turning around to her. "So I held back."

'_Oh, Josh… That's so sweet…' _Bridgette thought, her eyes sparkling, and she smiled a little bit, with a blush. However, she shook her head. _'Come on, Bridgette! Get a grip!'_

* * *

Around a week or two later, the first performance of the play was about to start. Everyone was backstage, getting ready for the curtains to go up; Bridgette was in front of the vanity, getting herself ready for her role as "Princess Prēmēra".

Her dress for the beginning scene was somewhat casual. It was a pink dress with puffy sleeves, and it merely went down above her knees. It was fairly simple; the dress was beautiful enough to be recognizable, yet it was not overly extravagant and the design was subtle. Bridgette was also wearing pink flats, her hair was done in its usual hairstyle, and she was wearing a pink bow in her bangs.

"Ready for your big show, Bridgette?" Blossom asked, as she helped Bridgette get ready.

"I'm fairly nervous, though…" Bridgette said, as she stood up, ready for her scene.

"Just be happy Princess is just playing the wicked stepmother; she'll get her due." Buttercup said, as she helped Ricardo get the set props ready for the first scene of the play.

The lights out in the house were dimming down; Bubbles turned to the cast backstage, and whispered, "Here we go!"

The curtains came up, and the crowd went silent.

Blossom, who was tasked with narrator, was in the sound control booth; she was doing the voiceover, and Blossom got started narrating.

"_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, young princess named Prēmēra." _

Bridgette walked out onto the stage, with a big smile on her face. She walked with grace and style and kept herself from tripping.

"_She was often called 'The Diamond Of The Kingdom' due to her beauty; however, she was also known for her kindness and her understanding side."_

"How are the little ones doing today?" Bridgette said, reciting her lines, while talking to some stuffed bunnies that were used for props.

"_Prēmēra was the same age as her stepsister; after her father got remarried, she got a new stepmother, plus a stepsister, named Princess Vilain." _Blossom continued.

Princess, playing the queen, and Mandy, playing Vilain, came onstage from the right, and they were looking at Bridgette, bitterly.

Bridgette pretended not to notice the jealous, bitter looks on the girls' faces as they crossed their arms and growled at Bridgette.

"_The queen and her daughter, Vilain, were bitterly jealous of Prēmēra; her beauty and her grace were what made her the more popular of the two heiresses to the kingdom."_

"Princess Prēmēra!" One of the villagers said, as Prēmēra came into the marketplace. The actor was Randy. "I think that it goes without saying that your late father would no doubt have chosen you to be the next queen!"

"Why thank you," Bridgette said, reading her lines. "But…"

"No buts!" Randy said, reading his lines.

"_In fact, it got to the point that no one even acknowledged the new queen and princess."_

"It's Princess Prēmēra! Isn't she beautiful?" The villagers' actors said, as Bridgette walked along the stage, not really paying any attention to the compliments.

"Being the sole heir to the kingdom, I'm sure the king would have been proud of her!" One of the women of the village, played by Buttercup, said.

"But… Wait, didn't the king remarry?" Ricardo, playing the husband of Buttercup's character asked.

"Who cares? I don't think he even _did_." Buttercup replied.

Hearing this, Princess and Mandy started pretending to be even angrier than ever before, while Bridgette pretended to not even care or know.

"_This angered Vilain and her mother; wanting Vilain to become the queen instead of Prēmēra, the queen saw only one option: do away with Prēmēra."_

Climbing up another set prop, this time, the tower where the queen made evil potions and such, Princess and Mandy came to another prop: it was a large cauldron.

"Mom, what are we going to do?! It's always 'Prēmēra', 'Prēmēra' with everyone! What about us? It's like we don't exist!" Mandy said, complaining.

Princess started gathering up a few items and she said, "Don't worry, Vilain; I will make sure that you and you alone become queen. After Prēmēra is gone, our reign will start and it will never end for generations to come!"

"How are we going to get rid of that wretch?" Mandy asked. "If we kill her right in public…"

"We won't," Princess said, reciting her lines. "Because _someone else_ is going to be doing the dirty work while _Prēmēra's_ coronation becomes _YOUR_ coronation."

Princess and Mandy were then laughing evilly as they started plotting and getting ready to do away with the princess.

* * *

"_The next day, the queen ordered the huntsman to bring Prēmēra into the woods to let her enjoy a little scenery. However, there was a catch: when the huntsman came back, he had to bring the queen one of Prēmēra organs."_

The scene transitioned to what seemed to be the next morning; Bridgette was lying on her knees onto the floor of the stage, while pretending to pet a stuffed rabbit or something.

Meanwhile, Luke, playing the huntsman, was standing behind her, carrying a fake dagger.

"Goodbye, your highness…" Luke muttered, reciting his lines.

Luke was about to bring the fake dagger down onto Bridgette; however, she turned around, screamed, and backed off, before beginning to cry.

Luke dropped the dagger before falling to his knees; he started to feign crying, as part of the act.

Taking Bridgette's hands, Luke begged, "Forgive me! Oh, please!"

"Wh-What's happening?!" Bridgette recited, as she grew scared.

"It's the queen! She wants you gone!" Luke said, reciting lines. "She wants Princess Vilain to take the throne rather than you! So… She sent me to… to…"

"I get it," Bridgette said, standing up. "Thank you for sparing me. Jealousy is what motivates my stepfamily to see me gone… So that's what they're going to get."

"What?! Certainly you don't mean suicide, your highness?!" Luke said, reciting his lines.

"Not on your life," Bridgette said, making Luke sigh in relief. "I'll just have to leave and assume another persona until I can find someone who is willing to trust me enough to listen to my story."

"As expected of the princess." Luke said, as he bowed to Bridgette.

"Good huntsman," Bridgette said. "I will no longer be "Princess Prēmēra"… I will someday come back to take the throne from Vilain. As for you, please lay low and pretend that you have done the deed."

"I thank you, highness." Luke said, as he stood up and ran offstage.

As for Bridgette, she ran behind a tree that was on the set, she took off her normal dress and changed into a villagers' outfit; she put her hair in a ponytail and got rid of the ribbon. She also managed to pick up her other clothes before running offstage in silence.

"_Having learned of her stepmother's plot, Prēmēra left the kingdom to find a new home. Her counterplot was to find a royal who would listen to her and find a way to overthrow her stepsister's reign."_

Josh, portraying the prince, came out from the right, and the scene changed to that in his own castle. He was sitting on the throne that was the prop and he was looking at some outfits some of the castle staff had set up for him.

"_Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom, the prince, Prince Romeo, was getting ready for the masked ball that his father planned. The prince was sure that his father was plotting to have Romeo fall in love."_

"Hey, why did we have to name the prince "Romeo"? It's too cliché." Ricardo whispered to Buttercup, while they were both offstage.

Buttercup shrugged at this; she had no idea.

"I understand that this is to help me find my princess, but how will I be able to find her outside the castle; we're all going to be masked." Josh said, reciting his lines.

Cody, playing the king, said, "Your body will have a reaction to the girl you fall in love with, so you'll recognize her outside the castle, my son."

"Why go to all of this trouble just to find me a princess?" Josh asked, reciting his lines again.

"Your late mother and I married out of true love," Cody said, putting a hand on Josh's shoulder. "We have intentions to carry on that tradition. Besides, I don't think you, or anyone else, would like to marry someone you don't know or love."

"That I can agree with." Josh said, reciting his lines.

"_Outside, the staff of the castle were spreading the word about the party; everyone in the kingdom was invited, from peasants to nobility."_

Outside the castle, kids that were playing the castle staff were running around the area, spreading the news about the party; people were looking at the posters and listening to the staff about the party.

"Here ye! Here ye! The king is throwing a masked ball for the prince!" Randy said; he was playing another villager this time, with the flyers in hand.

Kids were running around in joy, looking for good clothes to wear for the ball; adults were looking for decent masks and shoes to wear.

Bridgette then came onto the stage from the left, and she deliberately ran into Randy, being careful not to do it too hard.

"Oh, please, forgive me!" Bridgette said, as she tried to keep her face out of Randy's sight.

"It's okay, fair lady," Randy said, reciting his lines. "Please, take this flyer."

Bridgette took one of the flyers, and Randy walked away, before Bridgette looked at the flyer.

"A masked ball?" Bridgette said, reciting her lines. "In honor of the prince… This could be my chance! But…"

Bridgette looked at herself and her clothes; she sighed before saying aloud, "I can't go like this… I'll be recognized too easily."

She then saw a beautiful, pink dress in the painted window of one of the set props that was painted as if it was a dress shop.

"And I didn't bring any money with me when I left…" Bridgette said, reciting her lines.

Bridgette sighed as she sat down.

* * *

"_As night fell, the party was under full swing, while poor Prēmēra sadly stood outside the castle."_

Later that night, the party was going on inside the castle, and Bridgette, standing outside the castle, sighed sadly.

"If I can get in there and meet someone… Maybe I can find someone who will listen to my story…" Bridgette said, as she hugged her shoulders; she had her shawl on, and she kept herself out of sight.

She looked inside and saw that there were many people dressed in fancier clothing and masks.

"Bubbles, you're on…" Luke whispered to Bubbles.

The smoke machine was turned on, and a _POP_ noise was made; smoke "exploded" in place behind Bridgette, and then out came Bubbles, dressed in a baby blue cloak with a hood, and a stick that was used for a wand.

"Wh-Who are you?" Bridgette asked, reciting her lines.

"Don't panic, little one," Bubbles said, reciting her lines. "I'm your fairy godmother; I've heard of your plight and of your stepmother's wicked plot. I'm here to help you."

"Y-You are?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes, I am," Bubbles recited, with a nod. "So... Dressica Princessa!"

Twirling her wand, Bubbles cued some of the tech crew, from up in the catwalk, pulled some fine wires, and soon, Bridgette's ragged clothing turned into a beautiful, pink ball gown. It was an ombre style dress that transitioned from bright pink on top to white on the bottom. It had no sleeves, had a sweetheart neckline, there were pink, sparkles all over the dress, the shoes matched the top of the dress, and elbow-length gloves were on her arms. Her hair was taken down and it was laced with glitter that was sprinkled on her from above, as both a special effect and a costume design. Her mask appeared in her hand out of nowhere, and she put it on her face. It was pink, in something of a heart-shape, and with sparkling beads.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Bridgette said, as she twirled around and giggled.

"Dear," Bubbles said. "There is no deadline for magic where this spell is concerned. I only ask is that you do not reveal your true identity to anyone who you can't trust."

"Thank you," Bridgette said, with a bow. "I will enjoy myself to the fullest!"

"That's all I ask." Bubbles said, reciting her lines.

Bridgette then walked inside the castle from the right of the stage, and she smiled with a happy laugh.

The set props and scenery changed to the interior of the castle.

"_Inside the castle, Prince Romeo was waltzing with girls from all over; he was really not enjoying himself. However, he was about to meet his match, but in the best way possible."_

Josh, playing the prince, was waltzing with many girls, one at a time, and he put on a very bored face.

'_Come on, Bridgette,' _Josh thought. _'Isn't your cue about to come?'_

People were crowding around him and the girl he was dancing with, while the girl tried to make moves on Josh, who only ignored them.

Bridgette then came on stage from the left, and as she walked in, everyone turned to look at her with surprise and awe on their faces.

"_Once Prēmēra walked into the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and took a good, long look at her. Even the prince was mesmerized."_

Bridgette pretended to be shy with herself, as part of the act; she looked away a little bit as she walked to the dance floor.

Josh, looking at Bridgette, was too mesmerized with her to think.

'_She's beautiful…' _Josh thought, blushing, as he saw Bridgette.

However, as soon as he remembered the whole thing was an act, he shook his head and did his role.

Josh broke apart from the girl he was dancing with and went over to Bridgette.

Bridgette was walking around, trying to navigate through the crowd, but Josh and Bridgette bumped into each other, as per the script.

Josh took Bridgette by the arms, trying to steady her; Josh recited his lines, and said, "Oh, miss, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Bridgette said, as she pretended to be shy. "I thank you."

Josh was infatuated with Bridgette, which was both real and an act.

"May I…" Josh began to ask, but Bridgette turned away and started to go to the balcony.

Josh followed her to the balcony, which was part of the set; Bridgette had her hands on the railing and she sighed sadly.

Josh approached, and reciting his lines, he said, "Is something troubling you, my lady?"

"Something _is_," Bridgette said. "But if only I could find someone to trust, then I could fully open up."

"I'm willing to listen," Josh said; his role was more interesting in the girl than what she had to say. "May I… Have this dance?"

Bridgette pretended to blush; with a smile, and a giggle, she said, "Yes, you may."

The two linked arms, and they went out on the dance floor; they started to waltz together, and they seemed to be falling in love.

'_I don't get it...' _Bridgette thought, as she and Josh were dancing together. _'Why do I feel so safe with Josh? He _does_ look cute in that costume… No, Bridgette! Focus! Focus!'_

Josh had a look on his face that made it obvious he was in love with Bridgette; everyone else off stage and in the house were just thinking that Josh was a _really_ good actor.

'_You're beautiful, Bridgette…' _Josh thought, blushing. He dipped Bridgette down, and Bridgette looked up at him; her eyes sparkled with the light that was reflected in her eyes, and Josh's heart slammed against his chest.

"_However, as the prince and princess were falling in love with each other, Prēmēra was close to forgetting her goal."_

"My lady, what was troubling you?" Josh asked, reciting his lines.

"I… Guess I should just vent my troubles." Bridgette recited her lines.

"Go ahead," Josh said. "I'll listen."

"Well… I heard a rumor… A rumor that the new queen of the neighboring kingdom was planning the assassination of Princess Prēmēra, the favored princess of the kingdom." Bridgette said.

"Are you sure?" Josh asked, pretending to be serious in this situation.

"Yes," Bridgette said. "I can't be sure; should the Princess have survived, she must have fled by now…"

"I hope you're right about it being only a rumor…" Josh said, but his character was more focused on Bridgette. "Changing the subject… What might…"

However, the trumpets playing interrupted their banter.

"_Introducing her majesty, Queen Mala and Crown Princess Vilain." _

Bridgette pretending to freeze up; Princess and Mandy came onto the stage, wearing fancier costumes, and the rest of the cast turned to them and bowed with respect.

Bridgette pretended to have a nervous look on her face; Princess looked in Bridgette's direction.

"Wait a second… Isn't that…?" Princess said, before the music started back up in the dance.

Bridgette immediately turned her back on Princess and Mandy and continued dancing with Josh.

"My lady, what troubles you?" Josh asked.

"Nothing troubles me," Bridgette said, reciting her lines. "I am just nervous to be in the company of a queen."

"I'm sure anyone of lower rank would be nervous; back to the matter at hand: what is your name?" Josh asked.

"M-My name?" Bridgette asked, as she heard what Josh asked.

Princess started over to Bridgette; seeing this, Bridgette pulled away from Josh.

"What's the problem?" Josh asked, still holding her hand.

"I-I… I have to leave!" Bridgette said, as she turned on her heel and started to run.

She ran past Princess and Mandy in a rush; Bridgette was running quickly, trying to get out of the room.

"Wait! Hold on!" Josh said, as he took off after Bridgette.

As Bridgette made it to the other side of the stage, she stumbled, and fell on her face; she lost one of the shoes and she knew that was part of the script, so she was okay.

"My lady!" Josh said, as he tried to catch up to Bridgette. "Please stop! You haven't even given me your name!"

Bridgette merely stood up and kept running; she managed to outrun Josh, who stopped, and picked up her shoe.

Josh looked on as he saw Bridgette flee backstage, and he pretended to be heartbroken; then again, seeing Bridgette run away from him, no matter what the situation, always broke his heart.

Princess and Mandy looked at the scene; Mandy asked, "Mother, was that…?"

"It was Prēmēra. She's alive." Princess said.

"_Having learned that Prēmēra was alive, Mala and Vilain had another plan to get rid of Prēmēra: poison."_

* * *

The scene transitioned to Princess and Mandy conjuring up a poisoned cupcake. Princess put some kind of poison into the batter while Mandy also put poison in the frosting. After the cupcake was made, they started laughing.

"To get rid of Prēmēra, we have to kill her ourselves." Princess said, and the two girls started cackling evilly.

Meanwhile, Josh and Bridgette were backstage as they watched the scene go on.

"You're doing great out there, Bridgette," Josh said. "Just like I said: you're a great princess."

"Thanks, Josh," Bridgette said. "But… The next bit is what's worrying me."

"The kisses?" Josh asked.

Bridgette nodded; she hated to admit it, but she had never had a kiss before. Not even her former boyfriend kissed her. She would never tell that to Josh.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen…" Bridgette admitted.

Josh's face fell as he heard this, and he sighed sadly; however, he looked over and saw some masking tape, and he got an idea.

"Bridgette, you're back on in a few minutes!" Randy whispered from behind.

Bridgette nodded and got ready for her cue.

The scene was soon changed up to Prēmēra's hideout; Bridgette was sitting on a stump, still wearing her dress. She had taken off her mask, since she was alone, and one of her shoes was still missing.

Princess then came in, disguised as an old woman, and had a basket of cupcakes in hand.

"Hello, young lady," Princess said, in a fake elderly woman's voice. "Would you like to try a cupcake?"

She handed Bridgette the "poisoned" cupcake, and Bridgette looked at it for a few seconds.

Bridgette faked a stomach growl noise, and then she said, "I _have_ been hungry for a while… Thank you."

She took a cupcake, and after staring at it for about two to three seconds, she took the wrapper off and took a bite.

Bridgette chewed and swallowed. She then pretended to be stunned; Bridgette faked coughing for a few seconds, and she fell to the ground, pretending to have "died".

"Hahaha… Now that you're dead, Vilain will be the queen! Hahahaha!" Princess cackled, before leaving off the stage from the left.

Josh was on the other side of the stage, watching, and he nodded, ready for his cue and his chance to kiss the girl he loved.

"Josh, you're on!" One of the crewmembers said.

"_Prince Romeo, coming from the ball, was running in the woods, and he soon found Prēmēra, lying dead in the grass."_

Josh nodded and he ran out onto the stage, Bridgette's other shoe in hand.

"There she is!" Josh said, reciting his lines. He got down, and shook Bridgette gently, trying to wake her up. "Miss. It's me; the man you danced with last night. Miss?"

Bridgette did not stir, as per the act.

Josh's eyes went wide; he shifted his head to look at the cupcake in Bridgette's hand.

He picked it up, and he said, per lines, "This… This must have been the evil that caused you to be taken away from me! My love…"

Josh then turned Bridgette around onto her back, and then lifted her up; one of his hands was on her upper back while the other was on her lower back, near her waist.

'_Here's the dreaded moment… The kiss.'_ Bridgette thought, nervous. She refused to let her body react, though.

Josh, having put fake tears in his eyes backstage previously, started to feign crying. He then lifted Bridgette closer to his face, and put one of his hands on her cheek. Josh then sadly said, "Oh, my love… In grief… my love will ultimately poison me, as well."

Josh put his lips onto Bridgette's, and held the kiss for a few seconds. Bridgette's face went red for a few seconds, as did Josh's.

Everyone backstage was watching in awe as Josh gave Bridgette his best kiss.

Josh, as much as he wanted to keep going, stopped the kiss and broke apart, while pretending to grieve.

Bridgette slowly opened her eyes, and wiped them a little bit. Seeing Josh, she smiled, with a blush, and she recited her lines, saying, "Oh… Do I recognize you from somewhere?"

Josh then picked Bridgette up before giving her a hug, as part of the script.

'_Why… Do I feel happy about this?!' _Bridgette thought, as she relaxed in Josh's embrace.

"_After Prince Romeo kissed Prēmēra and broke the curse of the poisoned cupcake, he whisked her away to his palace." _

Princess and Mandy were soon walking through the woods, trying to find their way out, but soon, they tripped on some vines, and they fell into a trap door that was on the stage, and they screamed.

"_As for Vilain and Mala, they died out in the woods, having fallen into a ditch with no way out."_

Back with Bridgette and Josh, they were wearing white versions of their clothes, with Bridgette wearing a veil, and then Ricardo, playing a priest, soon made the final vows and Josh and Bridgette kissed once again.

"_A few days later, Prēmēra and Romeo were married and they lived happily ever after, taking the throne of both Prēmēra's kingdom, as well as his."_

The curtain soon closed, and the end of the play was there.

* * *

Backstage, after the curtain call, Bridgette, still in her costume, came over to Josh, whose back was turned to her.

"Josh, you did great out there." Bridgette said.

Josh shrugged, not saying anything.

"I… I really was impressed with you; especially the kiss scenes." Bridgette said, trying to make conversation.

Josh put a hand to his mouth, and a ripping noise was made. He then revealed that he had masking tape on his mouth, and he turned around to Bridgette, with a sheepish smile.

"If only that was a _real_ kiss. It doesn't count if tape is used." Josh said, albeit his tone said that he was not very happy about the kiss scene that he had faked.

"You faked it?" Bridgette asked, her face falling, and one of her eyebrows going up.

Josh nodded, and he said, "Kissing was part of the play… I knew you weren't so thrilled about it, so… I faked it."

Bridgette smiled, her eyes sparkling, as she thought, _'Oh, Josh…'_

Bridgette blushed a bit, with a smile, and Josh, seeing this, blushed as well, while thinking, _'I think I'm getting closer.'_

'_Maybe… He's a nice guy after all…' _Bridgette thought.

The two of them were making eyes at each other, but Bridgette would not be falling into the trap of love any time soon.

* * *

**It looks like Bridgette's warming up to Josh. Now if only she wasn't so stubborn… But hey, we'll see what happens, right? We're going to transition to another couple in our next chapter…**

**Next time…**

**Luke: Rumors are spreading that I'm just a bully and a monster. This birthmark and these eyes I have are a curse…**

**Blossom: Stop putting yourself down, Luke! I could never think of you in that way!**

**Luke: Yeah, well what would you think if I told you that I couldn't get a reservation at any restaurants in town due to my appearance? **

**Blossom: Those shallow maître d's…**

**Luke: See what I mean?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Luke's trying to fight his own curse! And while he's succeeding where Blossom and her buddies are concerned, the poor guy keeps getting kicked out of restaurants and such SOLELY due to his face; does that sound familiar in some respects? Maybe. It looks like Blossom's the Beauty while Luke is the Beast in this story. It's not like Luke **_**asked**_** for his birthmark and eyes. But can Luke get a good date with Blossom in spite of his face? Maybe some of their buddies can help…**

* * *

_Lovelorn Luke_

Everyone was walking around the school hallways, minding their own business, and just doing their own thing, without any distractions.

However, as soon as all of the students heard a certain person's footsteps coming through the halls, they all froze up; some of the students dropped their books and such. They all looked in the direction of where the footsteps were coming from.

It turned out that the footsteps were coming from Luke, who was looking a little sad, as he had his _VERY LARGE_ backpack hefted over his shoulder.

"_IT'S LUKE ARMSTRONG! THE NEW SCHOOL BULLY! RUN!" _One girl shouted, before everyone started to run away from Luke in all direction.

Luke looked at the now-empty hallway, with papers scattered everywhere, and other items all over the floor; lockers were open, and such.

Luke sighed sadly, as he saw that everyone had fled at seeing him once again. During his short time at the school, he had inadvertently gained a very undeserving reputation for being a bully. His stint in which he defended Blossom from Randy and gotten himself a girlfriend in the process caused him to be inappropriately labeled.

"Not again…" Luke said, sadly, as he kept walking through the hallways once again.

Each time Luke looked in the direction of someone, they flinched and ran off; no matter who it was, no matter _what_ the reason, they always ran. Luke started getting depressed as he kept seeing this.

'_Why are they all afraid of me? They've got nothing to be scared of…' _Luke thought, sad that his peers shunned him.

Luke soon came into the classroom; as soon as he walked in, everyone went silent and got scared. As Luke walked to his desk, almost everyone in the classroom made way for him and tried to give him some space; due to his face and eyes, he intimidated everyone. The fact that rumors had started spreading about him being from a gang or such; almost everyone believed it.

"U-Um, Luke, g-good morning!" Ernie said. Luke looked at Ernie, but his birthmark and eyes immediately scared Ernie off, causing him to run back to his desk.

Luke sighed sadly and everyone soon looked away; no one in the classroom saw Luke as anything more than a beast.

However, there were some people who knew better: Blossom and her gal-pals, along with Cody; Ricardo and Josh were in classes separate to the girls.

"Morning, Luke!" Blossom said, as she ran up to Luke and gave him a big hug.

Luke smiled; although the reality was that it made him look very handsome, everyone saw hideousness with Luke's smile.

"Morning, Blossom." Luke said, as he hugged back, and he smiled, very happy.

"Look at them…" "Why does Blossom look so happy with that freak?" "I'll bet Blossom's faking it because he's just blackmailing her into dating him." "Poor girl…"

Luke, hearing this, then looked downcast, and he sighed sadly.

"What's the matter?" Blossom asked.

"Oh, nothing really. Just… depressed." Luke said.

Blossom looked at Luke with wide eyes; she certainly was not expecting that response from him.

"Why? What's the problem?" Blossom asked.

"It's really nothing, but… Why does everyone look at me like I'm some beast? Yes, I know my eyes and birthmark make everyone look like I'm some gangster or something, but…" Luke said, as he sat down at his desk and sighed sadly. "Is there really something for people to be scared of?"

"I certainly don't see anything to be afraid of," Blossom said. "So why anyone would be scared is beyond me. But what am _I_ saying? When we first met, I wasn't exactly comfortable right from the get-go."

"See what I mean?" Luke said, with his body language saying, 'EXACTLY MY POINT'.

"Sorry to put a downer on things," Cody said, interrupting. "But remember our trip to the beach?"

"Oh, yeah," Bubbles said. "Luke did most of the heavy lifting; with all that muscle power, someone is bound to get scared. I'm sure some people might think that you could easily break someone in half with that strength. Not that you _WOULD _do that."

"Exactly what I mean," Cody said, with a sad sigh. "Couple that with your birthmark and eyes, and it's somewhat justified. _SOMEWHAT_, being the key word here."

Luke only felt _worse_ after hearing this situation analysis. He hung his head and blue lines were falling down his head; everyone sweat dropped at this and they shut their mouths after this.

"Cody, that's as helpful as leeches on a dead person!" Blossom said.

"Got _that one_ from Bridgette, didn't you?" Buttercup said, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

Blossom sweat dropped and nodded a little bit; Bridgette said, "Don't worry; you girls were about to pick up some things from me sooner or later anyway."

"Speaking of which," Cody said. "Did you bring any of those checkerboard cookies?"

"Sure did," Bridgette said, as she opened the bag and showed them to her friends. "Chow down!"

Everyone grabbed for a cookie, and they were all enjoying them. Luke felt a little better as he took a bite of the cookie he ate.

"These are good, as always!" Bubbles said, as she ate hers. "These are chocolate and orange, right?"

"Yep," Bridgette said. "I _really_ used the orange extract in the orange dough; trust me, it takes a lot of measuring to do this design."

"I totally taste the oranges." Blossom said, as she kept laughing.

Luke smiled with love in his eyes as he watched Blossom laugh and smile; he subtly sighed, a little down that people still saw him as a bully when he was not even close to that.

"How is it that Blossom can be so happy and cheerful with that beast, Luke around?" "I don't blame her for dating him out of fear of getting hurt, but she's _got_ to break up with him." "The cretin…"

Luke, hearing all of this, then turned around to the other students and started growling a little bit before shouting, "Hey! I'm not like that!"

Everyone recoiled, turned pale, and started shivering while looking at Luke as if he were a Communist dictator who had a ruthless streak.

Luke then realized that his menacing voice came out again; hearing his own tone coming out of his mouth, he covered it with both of his hands and turned around, embarrassed, and sweating.

"Luke?" Blossom said, worried about him.

"I… I'm fine," Luke said, rather sadly, as he sat down. "I'm… Just upset that people think that we're going out because of something ridiculous, like blackmail."

"I never…" Blossom said, incredulous at what everyone else was thinking.

"That's not Luke," Cody said. "That's not who Luke is at all! Sure, he may have a tough side, but that only comes out for the best reasons."

Blossom gave Luke a hug and a kiss on the cheek, which made him feel better about being able to date Blossom; what his major concern was no one would see the two of them as a couple, but as Blossom just going out with him for the sake of her own safety.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Luke was at his house; he had finished his homework, so he decided to watch some television. For some reason, when he turned on the TV, the channel was turned on to some cheesy – if not ridiculous – Pepé Le Pew cartoon; specifically, "Scent-Imental Romeo". Luke changed the channel, but for some reason, his brain was telling him to watch the cartoon. Switching the channel back, Luke started to watch carefully for ideas. Pepé had just put Penelope Pussycat in a chair and set up a candle-set dinner table for two while putting on some music and getting some champagne out.

"Th-That's it! I just had the best idea!" Luke said, as he became refreshed and inspired to turn up the heat on his romance with Blossom.

The next day, Luke was walking through the halls with pep in his step and a smile on his face; while it looked just creepy to everyone else and their imaginations; Luke was actually pretty handsome with that smile.

"What's with that creep?" "He seems happy." "Maybe he finally got something off of Blossom; the jerk."

Luke ignored the others, and he continued to the classroom.

"Huh? You're asking me out to dinner?" Blossom asked, with a smile gracing her face.

"Yes," Luke asked, blushing, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Just the two of us at some high-end restaurant and no one else bothering us."

"Oh, Luke, I would _LOVE THAT!_" Blossom said, as she leaped onto Luke and gave him a big hug.

"If you ever need any dessert, leave it to me." Bridgette said, with a wink.

Bubbles, Buttercup, and Cody then started laughing as they heard this and saw how happy that Luke and Blossom were getting along really well.

Others walked into the classroom and saw the scene; some looked at them with indifference, others looked at Blossom and Luke with scorn, while others had looks of pity on their faces; pity that was directed at Blossom, that is.

"I'm so happy! We're going out to dinner!" Blossom said, before repeatedly kissing Luke on the cheek, which he took _really_ well.

Randy was looking at the pair with obvious scorn and envy in his eyes and face; the fact that the girl he liked was in the arms of another made him really angry. However, remembering his first encounter with Luke, he decided to just leave them alone; not for Blossom's sake, but rather, to keep himself out of harm's way.

"So, where should we go for dinner?" Blossom asked, as she had not heard where Luke was going to bring her.

"Um… That… I haven't figured out." Luke admitted.

Everyone sweat dropped while falling down, anime style, and then they got back up; they all had awkward looks on their faces.

"Seriously?" Cody asked, not very impressed.

"Mind if I make a suggestion?" Bridgette asked, as she interrupted the banter. She took out a magazine and handed it to Luke. "Try this place: Restaurant sa Gugma. It's known for great ambiance and décor, as well as dishes that surpass the atmosphere. And their desserts are _phenomenal_."

"Leave it to Bridgette to scout out the best dessert places." Bubbles said, with a smile.

"Hahahaha… Well, their waiting list isn't very long, but getting reservations is like… Well… Roasting cocoa beans until they're _just right_. It's pretty difficult. They have dress codes, and they're very, um… high-and-mighty? Would that be the right phrase?" Bridgette said, making a baking analogy and then explaining it.

"I'll go over and try to get a reservation tonight!" Luke said, with his vigor renewed; he did not seem to listen to Bridgette's warning.

"Here, take this," Bridgette said, giving the magazine to Luke. "There are plenty of high-end restaurants in New Townsville."

"Just in case I can't get a reservation, huh?" Luke asked, with a smile; he knew Bridgette was smart.

"Right." Bridgette said, as she nodded; she was sure Luke could do it.

"Thanks," Luke said. "I'm sure there's something I can do."

* * *

Later that night, Luke was walking down the street, looking for the address for "Restaurant sa Gugma"; he was ready with his gentleman side, ready to win a reservation.

Looking at the magazine, Luke read over the article about their food as well as their desserts. He knew Blossom had a sweet tooth, so he paid extra attention to that.

Luke soon found himself in front of the restaurant, and he smiled, ready to go inside and get a dinner reservation for the two of them.

"Here goes…" Luke said, as he was about to calm himself down.

He took a deep breath and he walked inside the restaurant, like any customer would. Luke saw the maître d was standing behind the host stand and rummaging around, working on something. Seeing the little bell, Luke gently tapped it, getting the maître d's attention.

"I'd like to make a dinner reservation for two, please?" Luke asked, using his nicest voice.

The maître d turned around, ready to help Luke, about to take his reservation down, but as soon as the maître d saw Luke's face, he recoiled, going pale in the face, and shivering.

"Is… Something the matter?" Luke asked, but in the back of his mind, he knew the answer already. What happened next was expected, but not justified.

"We don't take reservations for gang members, young sir!" The maître d said, upset.

"Excuse me? I'm no…" Luke began, trying to reason with the maître d, but…

The maître d shoved Luke out of the restaurant; before shutting the door, he said, "If you want to eat, go somewhere that all people of your kind go! We don't allow riffraff and scoundrels around in here."

Luke then turned around and he shouted, "Hey! I'm no gangbanger or anything like that! You've got me all wrong! Come on! Open up! Please?"

Luke groaned and he said aloud, "All try to ask is for a dinner reservation for me and my girlfriend, and I get the boot as a response! And this is supposed to be a high-end restaurant? Poor customer service is what I'd call it! Pathetic…"

The next day at school, he informed his friends, Blossom included, of the previous night's events.

"_WHAT?!"_ Blossom shouted, surprised at Luke's report.

"That's right," Luke said. "One look at me and the maître d kicked me out without listening to what I had to say. He immediately assumed I was a gangster or something; the shallow jerk…"

"I'll say!" Blossom said. "Just like everyone else, no one sees the _real_ you until it's too late! It's bad enough you have an undeserving reputation for being a bully!"

"I warned you the staff there were stuck-up and posh…" Bridgette said, as she shrugged, not exactly impressed with the situation.

"You have to give Luke credit, though," Bubbles said. "He went in there without his sunglasses; that would have made things worse, though…"

Luke was ignoring the situation. He was _determined_ to take Blossom out to a fancy, high-end dinner.

Looking back in the magazine, Luke said, "I'll try and get a reservation at this one, next."

Looking at the image and seeing which restaurant Luke was referring to, Bridgette said, "Conèixer Bistro? Are you sure? That place can be quite expensive, the dress code is strict, and…"

However, Luke tuned Bridgette out and started reading the article on Conèixer Bistro.

"Do they know what they're in for, Bridgette?" Buttercup asked Bridgette.

"A lot of snootiness, that's for sure… I may have good taste in sweets, but I know a restaurant with good customer service and a friendly atmosphere when I walk into one." Bridgette said.

"Then why don't you stop him?" Cody asked.

"Because this is Luke and Blossom's problem, not ours," Bridgette asked. "If worse comes to worse, we'll intervene."

"Are you sure?" Buttercup asked.

Bridgette nodded; however, in the back of her mind, she had the instinct that the performance of the previous night was about to be repeated at least once, and another level.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Luke was walking to the restaurant, and he soon made it to the building.

"Alright," Luke said. "This time, I'm going to get the reservation! I won't lose this time."

With a confident, albeit slightly nervous smile, he took a deep breath, and walked inside.

"Excuse me, can I get a reservation for two for tomorrow night?" Luke asked, as he approached the hostess stand.

The hostess looked at Luke with a smile and her eyes were closed; once she opened them, Luke's eyes and birthmark scared her.

"U-Um… Please forgive me," Luke said, as he knew what was about to happen. "Please, don't be alarmed by my face; I was born this way."

The hostess did not listen, and after trying to keep herself under control for a few seconds, she shouted, "_G-GET OUT!_"

Once again, Luke was tossed out of the restaurant; this time, however, he fell flat on his face, as he was literally kicked out, and soon, the scared-to-death hostess shut the doors as soon as Luke was at a safe distance.

Luke lifted his face up and started shedding tears from embarrassment at another failure.

Luke approached another restaurant, called "Romanca Restoranti"; Luke swallowed a lump in his throat and approached the door.

'_Okay, Luke, THIS TIME, for __sure__, you'll get a reservation! Third time's the charm, right?' _Luke thought, trying to keep himself calm.

He knew that his true self, his gentleman self, would be the best route to go for this. Although he tried it with the other two places, both times, they refused to listen to him and just kicked him out.

Luke quietly entered the restaurant, and this time, no one was at the hostess stand. Soon, a member of the staff came up to the stand to get some menus; Luke cleared his throat, getting the waiter's attention.

"Um, could I please get a…" Luke said, but he soon found himself face-to-face with the waiter's fist.

"I don't know what you want, but you're not making off with any cash or anything like that! Got it?" The waiter said, seeing Luke as a thief; Luke had fallen onto the floor, on his back, because once again, his eyes and face were misleading everyone who looked at him.

"Sheesh, I'm just trying to get a dinner reservation for two for tomorrow night…" Luke said.

"Don't lie!" The waiter said; he got off of Luke.

Luke took this as a hint to leave, and so he did; once he was out of the doors to the restaurant, he started crying, anime-style, and his head was cocked to one side in frustration.

Luke tried again at another place; this time, it was "Brasserie Van Liefde".

Walking into the restaurant, he saw a crowd, and everyone at their tables looked in his direction before gasping and starting to whisper to each other about Luke. Luke managed to hear some things.

"He's… Pretty mean-looking." "He doesn't seem hostile." "But look at that face. Gives me chills…" "What does he even want here?"

Luke sighed as he heard everything everyone was saying; he turned to leave and walked out of the restaurant. Once again, he came up empty-handed, and without a dinner date with Blossom.

_"ARGH! DAMNIT!"_ Luke shouted, really upset; he had tried four times in a row to get a reservation; four times, he got kicked out or rejected. "Sigh… I'd better keep trying."

At yet another restaurant, Luke once again tried to get a reservation. He calmly walked into the building, with a smile on his face; he walked up to the hostess stand, and tried to get some service.

"Um… Is there anyone here?" Luke asked.

A maître d came up from the stand and he was about to serve Luke, but as soon as they made eye contact, once again, Luke found himself outside of the building, shut out, and no dinner date.

"What does it take for a guy to get a dinner reservation around here?!" Luke shouted, getting _beyond_ frustrated.

At least five other doors were slammed in his face as he kept trying at different places; he was _NOT_ in a good position for his date, and he knew it.

* * *

The next day, he was walking through the hallways; he was very upset with the reality at the moment. He could not secure a reservation at any good restaurants for dinner, and he was _NOT_ happy about it. His aura just radiated "menacing", and "angry", and this caused everyone to be more on edge around him than usual.

Ernie came into the classroom, shivering; the girls looked over to him and saw the freaked-out look on his face.

"Ernie, what happened?" Blossom asked.

"I-It's Luke…" Ernie said, shuddering.

"You're _still_ scared of him?! He hasn't hurt anyone! Sure, he may have scared Randy and the rest of us in the beginning, but he's… He's… Just a gentleman." Blossom said, detecting some fear from Ernie.

"He… He's more menacing than normal today. He seems angry." Ernie said, before rubbing his shoulders and sitting back at his desk.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Buttercup asked.

"Maybe Luke's just in a bad mood because he didn't sleep well; he could have been excited about your date." Bubbles suggested to Blossom.

"I'm not so sure," Cody said. "You never know what might happen; Luke could have tried getting dinner reservations at several places and not have gotten anything."

"Cody's right," Bridgette said. "Anything is possible."

As if on cue, Luke came into the classroom. He had an anime thundercloud over his head, and rain falling down on him; his face was a combination of depression and anger. He was in a very foul mood.

He sat down at his desk and his raincloud got darker.

"Luke, what happened?" Bubbles asked.

"No reservation?" Blossom asked, chancing Luke's temper.

"Not even close," Luke grumbled, bitterly. "I got kicked out of about _ten_ restaurants last night. _TEN!_"

Blossom looked at Luke as if he were crazy; she knew that he was not kidding around, but she sighed sadly.

"What are we going to do?" Blossom asked aloud.

"You'll think of something," Buttercup said. "I know you will."

Some of the other classmates looked at one another with a nod, and Bridgette's sixth sense kicked in once again; she shuddered, and seeing this, Buttercup and Bubbles knew Bridgette was sensing trouble.

'_We've got a problem…'_ Bubbles thought.

* * *

Later at her locker, Blossom was sulking a little bit; she knew it was not Luke's fault that he got kicked out because of his face, but at the same time, she was really looking forward to a dinner date with Luke.

"Um, Blossom? Can we talk to you?" Mandy said; Blossom turned around and saw Mandy, Brandy, Ernie, and a few of the others.

"Um… What's the matter?" Blossom asked.

Luke was coming around the other corner and he soon saw the scene; he was prepared to step in, should Blossom be threatened or hurt.

"Break up with Luke!" Mandy said, as she hugged Blossom.

Hearing this, Luke lowered his guard a little bit; he wanted to hear them out first.

"B-Break up with Luke?! Why?" Blossom asked, as she got out of Mandy's hug.

"He's hurting you, isn't he?" Ernie asked.

"What makes you say that?" Blossom inquired.

"He's big…" Brandy said, for one thing.

"A menace!" Ernie said.

"Those eyes and that face are just so scary!" Mandy said.

"Wh-Wh…" Blossom said, stammering.

"For your own good, you _have_ to dump Luke! Before he…" Brandy began, but…

"Before he _what?! _Goes about his chivalrous business?! He's a gentleman! He really does love me!" Blossom said, in Luke's defense. "I couldn't imagine breaking up with him! And I honestly couldn't care less about his face and eyes; I think they make him look _GOOD_!"

Luke sighed in relief as he started to listen to Blossom again; he blushed as he heard Blossom and he decided to see what else Blossom had to say to her peers.

"But… But he's so…" Ernie began; however, it was obvious that he was chickening out.

"I'll say it; he's a beast! His height, his eyes, his hair, it's just so scary! I can't imagine him _not_ being a bully or such!" Mandy said, as she tried to convince Blossom to break up with Luke.

"You're judging the book by its cover! And I happen to _love_ the book that is Luke! Don't go pegging him with labels until you know the _real_ Luke!" Blossom said, as she then ran off in tears, after giving her peers that speech.

"Blossom!" Mandy shouted, as she took off after Blossom; she intended on convincing Blossom otherwise about Luke.

"Blossom!" Luke shouted, as he ran around in another direction, intending on catching up to Blossom and cheering her up.

Blossom was running through the halls with tears streaming from her eyes; she was really angry about what people were saying about Luke.

'_What do they know?! They don't know Luke for who he really is! What is this?! 'Beauty And The Beast'? That's Bubbles and Cody's love story!' _Blossom thought, with anger and heartache swirling around her head.

Luke turned the corner and saw Blossom running at him; he cut Blossom off, and had his arms open, ready to embrace his girlfriend.

Blossom bumped into Luke, but as soon as she saw him by looking up, Blossom broke down in tears and she cried into Luke's chest. Luke gently wrapped his arms around Blossom.

"Oh, Luke! They're being so mean about you! Called you a beast and everything!" Blossom said, as she kept on crying.

"I couldn't care less about what others think," Luke said. "Just as long as you and I never break up."

"I could never…!" Blossom said, as she kept crying into his chest; all Luke cared about was cheering Blossom up.

"Blossom, there's no way I could ever break up with you, and I hope that the feeling is mutual." Luke said, as he gave Blossom a kiss on the cheek.

Blossom kept crying, but she nodded, indicating that she also knew that could never bring herself to end things with Luke. Then again, she did not want to, either.

No matter what was said, the truth was that people saw Luke as something he was not; he had every intention of turning that around.

"Oh, Blossom…" Luke said, as he stroked Blossom's head to comfort her.

Ernie, Brandy, and Mandy soon came over to the scene, and saw how Blossom was crying into Luke's chest while he wrapped his arms around her, protectively. Seeing all of the other peers looking at them, Luke gave them his best glare, and then they all fled the scene, giving them some privacy.

Seeing this, Bridgette and the others looked at each other, before Buttercup spoke up.

"We need to help them." Buttercup said.

"It's not like we can put up fliers about Luke's real personality." Bubbles said.

"No, I think Buttercup meant that we need to help them with the date." Cody said, as he hugged Bubbles by the shoulder.

"But how? Almost all of the romantic restaurants in the city shut Luke out right off the bat." Buttercup inquired.

Bridgette seemed to be mulling things over; noticing this, Bubbles asked, "Something wrong, Bridgette?"

"I think I have an idea. It's going to require us to use our best talents. I'll explain later." Bridgette said, as she gave her buddies a wink.

"Bridgette!" A familiar voice called, and Bridgette turned around to see Josh; he was blushing, and smiling shyly while holding a stuffed penguin.

"J-Josh…" Bridgette said, sweat dropping. _'This guy again?! Can't he take a hint?!' _

"I… I got this for you," Josh said, as he handed Bridgette the stuffed penguin. "I heard that you like penguins, so…"

"Thank you…" Bridgette said, albeit with a hint of annoyance.

"That's so cute!" Bubbles said.

Bridgette gave Bubbles a mild glare, and she shrunk back just a bit; however, Bridgette's rage was about to be built up even further.

Josh soon kissed Bridgette on the cheek; it was the same cheek that Bosco would kiss in the girls' confrontations with the RowdyRuff Boys.

"Um… I'll be seeing you." Josh said, before walking away, trying to hide his excitement.

Bridgette grew angry and she screamed after Josh was out of earshot and she started muttering and grumbling out of anger and annoyance.

"Of all things, why did it have to be a kiss?! Why that?! GAAAH! I vowed to _never_ fall in love again! And I'm sticking to that promise! No matter what happens! I _won't_ fall in love! EVER!" Bridgette said, in an angry rant, as she threw the penguin into her locker and slammed the door out of rage.

"Are you upset because Josh kissed you on the same cheek as Bosco of the RowdyRuff Boys?" Buttercup asked.

"Darn right!" Bridgette said, with venom in her voice.

"But that was nice of Josh to get you a gift." Bubbles said, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's as helpful as leeches on a dead person, Bubbles!" Bridgette shot back.

"Come on, Bridgette, admit it: you're falling for Josh!" Buttercup teased.

"Does this face look like I'm falling for anyone right now?" Bridgette asked, as she pointed to her stern, angry face.

"No…" Buttercup said, sweat dropping.

"Then there's _no way_, _NO HOW, __**NO CHANCE**_ that I'll _**EVER**_ fall in love with anyone! Especially not Josh! _NEVER!_" Bridgette said, indignant on staying out of romance.

"Back to the matter at hand," Cody said, trying to change the subject and lightening the mood. "You said you had an idea about Luke and Blossom's date?"

Bridgette sighed in relief, and said, "Thank you, Cody. Like I said, I'll explain later at the lab…"

However, just as the conversation as about to close, the bell for the girls' next class rang out.

"We'd better get going." Buttercup said, as the group then went back to their classroom.

* * *

Later at the lab, Bridgette had drawn out the plan to help Blossom and Luke have a dinner date together without the shallowness of the maître d's giving them grief.

"What?! You want _us_ to play restaurant for Luke and Blossom?!" Buttercup asked.

"That's right," Bridgette said. "It's going to be great!"

"What gave you that idea?" Bubbles inquired.

"Come on, it's perfect!" Bridgette said, trying to convince her friends to go along with her plan. "This is what I have in mind for an idea: this will be a formal restaurant with high-end cooking that we make ourselves. The décor will also be high-end, and we'll trick Luke and Blossom into going to the venue. After that, we'll make sure they have a great time! Cody can be our waiter; Buttercup, wearing a women's work suit, can play the role of the hostess; Bubbles can be the head chef, and she can also design the clothing for us. I'll be the pastry chef of this event. After their dinner, they'll be dancing the night away until the desserts come out!"

"That sounds like a great idea, but how are we going to pull it off without unintentionally revealing our secret here at the lab?" Cody inquired.

"Because this won't _be_ at the lab," Bridgette said, as the idea formed in her head. "We'll hold it in the another part of the city; the park, maybe Bubbles' back yard, or something."

"That might be a good idea," Cody said. "What do you think, Bubbles?"

"I'm all for it!" Bubbles said, with a big smile on her face.

"We just need to set it up and make sure we make it copacetic as well as romantic." Bridgette said, as she sketched out a few more ideas and concepts for the big plan.

"Are you sure we can pull this off?" Buttercup asked.

"I'm _dead positive_," Bridgette said, as she showed her friends the concept art. "Let's get started."

Everyone started getting to work by working on everything they had in mind for each other.

Bubbles was taking Buttercup and Cody's measurements for the clothing and costumes they were making. Cody was rehearsing his poise and his manners for being a waiter. He had the "uniform" on for their "restaurant" and he had his hair groomed a little better.

"Good work, Cody!" Bubbles said, as she hugged her boyfriend.

Buttercup was trying on her women's work suit. It was in medium green, for obvious reasons, and she had a women's necktie on, too.

"Nice design work, Bubbles." Buttercup said, with a thumb up towards her blue-eyed, blond friend.

"Thanks!" Bubbles replied, as she made more measurements.

This time, the measurements were for table and chair sizes for the dinner. She also looked up some flowers and décor for the "restaurant" on the computer in the lab.

"Hey, Bridgette, how's the dessert menu coming along?" Buttercup asked, as she came over to Bridgette, who was making some sketches and designs for the desserts.

"I think it will be perfect," Bridgette said. "I just hope our lovely little couple likes things _French_ style."

"Oh, so you're thinking of going European for this?" Bubbles asked.

"I sure am," Bridgette said. "But let's avoid stuff like escargot and frog legs, okay? Yuck."

"_Agreed." _Buttercup, Bubbles, and Cody said, as they all stuck out their tongues in disgust and agreement.

"I actually think a lot of this French cuisine is a bit too complicated," Bubbles said, looking at the recipe. "Want to go a different route for entrees and appetizers?"

"Good idea," Bridgette said. "We don't want to overwhelm our guests with complex flavors."

"Nice thinking," Buttercup said. "Now let's get set up to help Blossom and Luke have a great date!"

"And I think I know just how to instigate it." Bubbles said, getting an idea.

* * *

The following evening, Blossom was in her bedroom, reading one of her favorite Galactic Man comic books. She was still a little sad that her peers insinuated that Luke would hurt her; she knew much better than that.

'_Why would people think that Luke was a monster? Okay, yes, there are the eyes and birthmark, but… but I love him!' _Blossom thought, before tears threatened to leave her eyes.

However, she heard knocking on her window, which snapped her out of her sorrow for a second. She went to the window, and saw a card with a heart shape seal on it. Blossom, curious, took the card, and opened it; she saw it was typed, but overlooking that, she went back to reading the note.

It said:

'_Blossom,_

_A formal dress is required for the night; follow the rose petals in the moonlight. When the destination is in sight, you will know it by heart; when you see your love, the romance will start.'_

Blossom merely raised an eyebrow and was confused; she decided not to question it and she went inside her closet to look for a nice dress to wear; makeup and such, too.

"I don't know what's going on, but I intend to find out." Blossom said, as she came out of her closet.

She was wearing a red semi-formal dress with a natural neckline. It was an above-the-knee dress in satin and the belt was the same fabric with some diamond button on it. Blossom had matching red shoes and a faux flower in her hair, where her red hair bow normally was. Blossom also had red lipstick on and minimal, nude-colored eye makeup, some eyeliner, and everything else on her face.

Blossom walked out the door and saw a trail of red rose petals going into town.

"Okay…" Blossom said, not thinking anything of the situation.

Up on the roof of Blossom's house, Bridgette, in PowerPuff Girl form, holding a bouquet of roses, without their petals. Taking out her compact, Bridgette contacted Buttercup, and she said, "Petals are scattered to the venue of our little restaurant on my end. How are you doing over there, Buttercup?"

"Just scattered the petals over near Luke's place, too." Buttercup said, as she was flying back to their destination.

"I'll be on my way over there right now." Bridgette said, as she flew off Blossom's roof, being careful not to get spotted.

Meanwhile, Luke had gotten a similar note and he was wearing a black tuxedo with a red rose boutonnière. He combed his hair, but he was a little iffy on the issue, as he had no idea what was going on.

'_What kind of trick is this? Maybe Blossom is surprising me by making the reservations for us?' _Luke thought, while adjusting his bow tie.

He walked out of his house and saw the trail of red rose petals; he shrugged and started to follow the rose petals.

Above him was Bubbles, in PowerPuff form, and she used her compact to say, "Luke's taking the bait!"

"Great! Hurry back so we can get started." Bridgette said, through the compact.

Blossom and Luke soon made it to where the trails ended: Bubbles' backyard. They saw that the yard was completely dark with nothing – or no _one_ – there, except the two of them.

"Luke, you look… Dapper." Blossom said, with a blush in her face.

"You look beautiful, too, Blossom." Luke said, also blushing.

"So… What do you suppose is going on?" Blossom asked.

"You don't know, either?" Luke asked.

Blossom shook her head.

All of a sudden, lights turned on, and soon, at a makeshift hostess stand, was Buttercup, her hair flat-ironed, wearing her women's suit, and carrying some menus in her hands.

"Welcome to our exclusive, one-night-only restaurant! Just for the two of you! Welcome to Romance Ambiance!" Buttercup said, as she acted like a real hostess.

"Buttercup?" Blossom asked.

"Please, follow me to your table." Buttercup said, as she walked towards to what appeared to be pure darkness; Blossom and Luke just followed Buttercup without question.

Buttercup snapped her fingers, and soon, the area lit up to reveal a romantic table for two that had candle light, and a floral arrangement of red roses in the middle; they were cut short enough for Blossom and Luke to see each other. The place settings were very well done and the décor was top-notch.

"Wow…" Blossom said.

"This is amazing…" Luke said.

"Come and sit." Buttercup said, as she put down the menus.

"Thank you." Blossom said, as she and Luke took their seats, and then they started looking through the menu.

"Welcome," Cody said, wearing a waiter's uniform, as he came out, with a pad of paper and a pencil. "I'll be your waiter tonight."

"Cody?!" Luke said, surprised.

"Our specials tonight include our vegetable-stocked minestrone with stewed beef chunks in a house-made vegetable broth and Ziti pasta; we also have bruschetta with our freshly-made Italian-garlic bread with olive oil, herbs, and diced tomatoes. As for our entrée special, we have Cappon magro that has shrimp, and lots of delicious vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots, lobsters and beans, and the like." Cody said, as he semi-read the script that Bridgette had written for him.

Bubbles and Bridgette, who were handling the cooking that night, were watching the scene, impressed with Cody.

"Cody's doing great out there, isn't he?" Bubbles said, hearts in her eyes and fluttering over her head about her boyfriend.

"Focus, Bubbles," Bridgette said, reminding Bubbles about the matter at hand. "We need to wait for Cody's cue and get cooking."

Cody soon came over with a ticket and he said, "Okay; Luke wants the minestrone while Blossom wants the Cappon magro."

"Let's get to it," Bridgette said, as she started into the kitchen. "Oh, Cody, here's a basket of Italian bread I baked up earlier. It's still warm, and there are butter packets in the basket, too."

"Thanks, Bridgette." Cody said, as he ran back out to the table and gave Luke and Blossom the bread.

"This is definitely Bridgette's bread," Blossom said, as she ate some. "No doubt."

"Yep." Luke said, with a smile, as he ate some more of the bread.

Bridgette and Bubbles were in the kitchen, cooking up a storm; Bridgette was cutting up the beef and preparing the shellfish for the minestrone and the Cappon magro while Bubbles was handling the pots and the pants.

"Shouldn't you be working on the desserts, Bridgette?" Bubbles asked.

"They're almost finished; the apple tart tatin is done and covered up to keep it warm, the French Cotillon is almost done; I just need to wait for the chocolate ribbon to harden, and the madeleines have to finish baking." Bridgette explained, as she threw the meat into the pot.

Luke and Blossom were really not sure what to make of the situation; sure, it was the dinner date that they wanted, and more, but they had no idea that their friends would go out of their way to do this for them.

"Wow…" Blossom said, as she ate some more of the bread. "This… Is really nice."

"It sure is," Luke said, with a smile. "I'm so glad that we got the dinner date we wanted. Sure, it's a little surprising that Cody and the girls would do this."

"I concur," Blossom said. "But I love it so far."

After the food was served, Luke and Blossom were having dinner conversations and having a great time; Blossom was chowing down on her Cappon magro like she would munch on her candy, while Luke politely ate his minestrone. Both were enjoying the romantic atmosphere between them.

"Now, for a treat," Cody said, as he turned on some more lights to reveal Bubbles, in a blue ballroom dress, at a piano. "While dessert is being prepared, we have a wonderful formal dance session for you."

Blossom and Luke just got onto the dance floor and started to waltz with each other as Belle and Adam did in Disney's "Beauty And The Beast". Looking at the scene from the kitchen, Bridgette watched them dance gracefully, but she just turned back to her work and made sure the cake was finished.

"Done!" Bridgette said; she then rang the bell that she and Bubbles had set up, and Cody came to get the dessert for Luke and Blossom.

"Dessert is served!" Cody said, as he put the cake down on the table. It was a chocolate sponge cake with layers of chocolate mousse in between many smaller layers, covered in chocolate ganache, and topped with a beautifully stripped white chocolate ribbon.

"Oh, this looks great!" Blossom said, as she ate her piece. She smiled as she ate the cake itself and was so happy.

"There's something that looks so much better though." Luke said, not having eaten a bit of his cake.

Blossom looked up and she gave Luke a questioning look before asking him, "What's that?"

Luke stood up, walked over to Blossom's side of the table, and he gave Blossom a big kiss on her lips; her heart skipped a beat before she melted and closed her eyes in response, while kissing Luke back.

"Looks like it's a success." Bubbles said, as she, Buttercup, and the others came out to the dinning room to see Blossom and Luke in love and having a great night.

"Thank you so much," Luke said, as he broke the kiss and turned to his friends. "We couldn't have asked for anything more."

"We wanted to make sure that you had a good time no matter what," Bridgette said. "We weren't going to let some stuck-up maître d's give you grief."

"You were successful, too," Blossom said, as she hugged onto Luke and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

"No problem," Cody said. "Now if only I could do something like this on my own, too…"

"You can do it, Cody." Bubbles said, before kissing Cody's cheek.

'_I hope so…' _Cody thought, not very confident.

* * *

**And that's a wrap! Yes, I know this one was long, but I had a lot of material and ideas to add into here. So, cut me some slack, okay? But then again, the point is that you enjoy it, right? **

**Next time…**

**Cody: Dang it! I can't find a good present for my girl! I need some help…**

**Bubbles: Cody, where are you?!**

**Cody: Bubbles, I'm over he – *CROAK*! Oh, crap, now what?! It was bad enough when I was turned into that beast that one time, but now an amphibian is what kind of body I'm stuck in this time!**

**Bridgette: Is this something out of the Frog Prince, or what…? **


	16. Chapter 16

**Poor Cody gets caught up in something out of "The Frog Prince" while trying to find a present for Bubbles. It's a good thing that Bubbles can talk to animals. Problem is, as a frog, Cody can't communicate with anyone else; it's all croaking, and it's not as if the remedy is a fairytale kiss. Not in this story, it isn't. Let's just hope Cody can **_**hop**_** to a happy ending without giving warts to anyone. Wait, what am I saying? You can't get warts from a frog or a toad. Yes, that's a fact.**

* * *

_From Beast, To Prince, To Frog, And Back._

Cody was looking around a perfume shop, looking like he was about to have a panic attack.

'_Come on, Cody! You have to find something Bubbles would like!' _Cody thought, as he was trying to look for the right perfume for his girlfriend.

He was soon in the citrus section of the shop, and he laid eyes on a perfume that combined mandarin oranges and pink grapefruit with what smelled like roses or some other type of flower.

"This could work…" Cody said, as he tried it out; he thought it would be perfect for Bubbles, and once he tested its scent, he ultimately decided to get it.

"Perfect." Cody said.

He paid for the perfume and left the store, not knowing that was something else in the bag. He was still unsure if Bubbles would like it, so he decided to go and find something else, as a backup.

Cody went to a flower shop, and as he walked inside, he got a blast of floral scents in the face; it was a very pleasant scent, and he smiled as he breathed.

"This should be a breeze." Cody said, as he started looking around the shop for flowers.

He soon saw some blue flowers out of the corner of his eye: specifically, he saw blue aster flowers and he smiled immediately.

"This is perfect!" Cody said, as he dashed over to the flowers and picked a few from their bucket. "Bubbles will love these! Not only are these in blue, which her favorite color, but it's also a flower representing love!"

Cody also saw some deep red carnations; he knew that they symbolized deep love and affection, and he also found roses to be a bit cheesy. However, Cody remembered that sometimes, cheesiness works.

"Red carnations…" Cody said, as he approached the flowers, and took in their scent. "They have the same meaning as red roses, but it's less predictable, and more original."

Cody took a dozen each of the carnations and the asters before smiling with a blush on his face; he thought, _'If Bubbles loves these, I know she'll be the happiest girl alive.'_

Cody soon purchased the flowers before leaving the store; he had a smile on his face and he was really looking forward to seeing Bubbles' face when she opened her present.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lab, the girls were decorating the lab for the party; it was to celebrate Bubbles' and Cody's six month anniversary of being a couple. Bubbles was at her house, making Cody's present, so the girls were left in charge of decorations.

"I still can't believe that Bubbles and Cody are making such a big deal out of this," Bridgette said, as she was baking a chocolate cake for Bubbles and Cody. "It's just six months."

"Maybe so, but to them, it's a really big deal; they mean a lot to each other, so of course they want to celebrate." Blossom said, as she put up some of the baby blue decorations.

"And it's not every day you have a boyfriend who knows you're a super hero. Wish that could be the same for the rest of us." Buttercup said; she got a blush on her face as she thought of Ricardo.

"For you and Blossom maybe," Bridgette said, being very stubborn. "But _NOT_ for me!"

"If you say so…" Blossom said. "But anyway, they just want to celebrate the fact that they're in love. Sure, Valentine's Day is a good day for that, but love waits for no one."

"I guess that makes sense…" Bridgette said, as she took the base-coated cake out of the fridge to frost and decorate completely.

She had frosting in several hues and shades of blue, some blue-tinted gum paste, amongst other colors, and Bridgette was ready to go at it. She tied her hair back, put on an apron, got a pallet knife, and spun it in her hand.

"Let's decorate!" Bridgette said, with a witty smile.

Bridgette took the pallet knife before dunking it into the darkest blue frosting before coating the cake in it by using a back-and-forth motion to spread the frosting while keeping her arm parallel to knife and the floor.

"Wow, Bridgette, you know what you're doing." Blossom said, as she took a break to watch Bridgette.

"Thanks, Blossom," Bridgette said, as she wiped the knife off and took some of the lighter blue frosting. "But there's more where that came from."

Bridgette was swirling some of the lighter blue frosting onto the darker blue frosting that was already on the cake, to make a swirled, oceanic affect. Bridgette then took some chocolate ganache and started to pipe tree-like structures on the sides and top of the cake while being careful not to melt the ganache.

"Next step…" Bridgette said, after piping some lettering on the top of the cake. "The main décor of the cake."

Bridgette then took some blue, pink, and green gum paste, and put it into a mold to create flowers, birds, and leaves out of them. Once she got them out, Bridgette used some blue, pink, and green shimmer dusts to add some shine and sparkles to the decorations. After carefully putting the decorations onto the cake, she put the cake back in the fridge before beginning to clean up her mess.

"This is going to be great," Buttercup said, as she hung up some blue streamers. "I'm sure Bubbles and Cody are going to really love this."

"I just hope we don't run into trouble in any way, shape or form." Blossom said.

"What kind of trouble?" Bridgette asked.

"Who knows?" Buttercup said.

Bubbles, meanwhile, was at her very large house, in her bedroom, and was working on one of her sewing machines. She had some leather, some blue denim, and other fabrics that she thought would fit Cody.

"Oh, I'm sure Cody is going to love this!" Bubbles said, a pink tint in her cheeks, and hearts fluttering over her head; she was really happy to know that she and Cody had been dating for around six months as of then.

Bubbles took the jacket she made and started sewing some buttons and such onto the lapels of the jacket; she left the denim torn deliberately on some parts of the jacket, amongst other decorations.

"Done!" Bubbles said, as she then revealed her finished project.

It was a blue leather jacket with patches of blue denim in several areas. There were some golden buttons and sequins near the pockets she added; Bubbles also added a few "bubble" designs onto the jacket to make it clear that she was his girl and his girl alone.

"Oh, Cody's going to love this!" Bubbles said, as she smiled and hugged the jacket, being careful not to ruin it before giving it to Cody.

Bubbles packed up the jacket and she left the house to go to the lab to meet up with the girls and get the party started.

However, a monkey wrench was about to be thrown into the mix; specifically, where Cody was concerned.

* * *

Back at Cody's house, Cody took out all of the presents he got for Bubbles out of their shopping bags. He took out the flowers and arranged them in a very romantic manner and tied them up in some wrapping with a baby blue ribbon.

"Okay, flowers are done." Cody said, as he put the flowers down and moved on to the makeup.

He bought some lip-gloss for Bubbles; he thought that the actual lipstick would take away from Bubbles' true beauty, so he decided to bring her lips out with gloss rather than color.

"This lip gloss is going to be perfect for Bubbles," Cody said, as he put the lip gloss in the small, baby blue bag that he had on him. "Now for the rest of the make up."

Cody had previously studied up a bit on which colors of make up would bring out the best in Bubbles' blue eyes and her blond hair. He found a set of purple eye shadows that he was sure Bubbles would love; he double-checked which brands Bubbles used.

"Purple eye shadows, check…" Cody said, putting the eye shadow in the same bag as the lip gloss. "Next up, the rouge."

Cody then took out some pale blush that he had bought for Bubbles; he thought her cheeks were cute enough as they were, but he found a subtle makeup that Bubbles could put on that would not take away from her cheeks.

"Now, finally, the eyeliner, mascara, and perfume." Cody said, as he took out some navy blue mascara, and turquoise eyeliner.

He put them in the gift bag, and he took out the mandarin orange and pink grapefruit perfume before putting it in the same gift bag.

However, Cody then noticed that there was an extra perfume bottle; it was not the same kind of perfume he had gotten for Bubbles, so he got curious.

"What kind of perfume is this?" Cody asked, not sure what was happening.

Taking out the bottle from the shopping bag, he read over the label; it was a men's cologne that had some very strange ingredients, which included "neutralized peat moss", amongst others. Cody shuddered a little bit, as he did not find the idea of peat moss pleasant.

Cody was suspicious; he said, "I don't remember buying this cologne. Where did it come from?"

He then found a note in the bag that was not the receipt. He read it over, and Cody said aloud, "Young sir, it appears you were not aware of our "buy one, get one free" sale, so we provided you with a free men's cologne. It is titled 'Igel Printze' which is in the language of Basque. We hope you enjoy it."

Cody shrugged; he thought nothing of it, and he opened the bottle. Cody took the cap off and decided to try it out; he spritz some of the cologne on his wrist, but after that, he grew itchy as his skin started to change.

"Ugh… What is this?" Cody said, as he was scratching the place he had sprayed with the cologne. "Am I having an allergic reaction to this gunk?"

Cody then started to feel himself burning up inside and out as his skin started to ooze with some kind of green liquid.

"What's going on?!" Cody said, as he dropped the bottle of cologne, with some of the contents spilling out.

Cody looked at his hand; his eyes widened with fear and shock combined as he saw his hand turn green, with some kind of membrane between his fingers growing. Looking down, Cody saw his whole body was turning green and moist.

"What the heck?!" Cody shouted, as he saw some other undesirable changes. His face turned a very dark, deep green; he turned to a mirror and saw what was going on.

"No… _**HELP!**_" Cody shouted, as the scene panned out to his house. Soon, some green cloud or whatever exploded from his house.

The scene panned back in to see that Cody had disappeared… Or so it appeared. Soon, the scene transitioned to seeing Cody on the floor… As a frog, with everything but his eyes having changed.

"No… _**NO!**_" Cody shouted, as he soon jumped into the sink and turned on the water to keep himself moist. "This is a disaster… First a beast, now this! Am I just stuck being the fairytale prince with the transformation curses?!"

* * *

Back at the lab, the girls were finishing up the decorating when Bubbles came into the lab.

"Hey Bubbles," Bridgette said. "Perfect timing; we were just putting the final touches on the decorating."

"That's great," Bubbles said, as she soon put down the bag she had for Cody onto the table. "I can't wait to get this party started."

However, once again, Bridgette got a shudder down her spine as she was about to put the ice cream base she made into the machine. She managed to keep the base from being spilled, but her teeth were chattering at her sixth sense.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Buttercup asked.

"Sixth sense just kicked in…" Bridgette said. "And I don't know why, but the vibe I'm getting seems to be related to Cody. Either way, it's trouble. Then again, it's probably just paranoia on my part from something."

The girls merely looked at one another; they knew from past experiences that if Bridgette's sixth sense picked up on something, to trust it.

"Maybe Cody got caught up in something bad and is going to be late?" Bubbles suggested.

"That's one possibility," Blossom said. "But you never know; you might want to give him a call, just in case."

"Good idea," Buttercup agreed. "Maybe something went wrong with his gift shopping and got delayed; construction blocking his usual route or something."

"That could be it," Bubbles said, as she picked up her phone and started to call Cody's cell phone number. "I'd better call and check up on him…"

Cody was hopping around the kitchen, his cell phone out on the kitchen table, looking around for a way out of the house.

"This is bad!" Cody said. "If I can't get out of here, how am I supposed to find a way back?!"

Cody hopped back into the sink to keep himself from getting too dry, and he sighed sadly, while saying aloud, "First I turn into a werewolf, and now a frog! What's next?! And if the antidote for this farce is what I think it is, _DAMN_, Bubbles is going to kill me!"

After turning off the faucet for a second, Cody hopped back to the cologne bottle that was on the floor to try to find any clues to an antidote. Reading the back of the bottle, he saw something that made him frustrated.

Cody groaned as he read aloud, "Oh, crap… 'The English translation to the name of the cologne is "Frog Prince"' Well, that figures! 'Don't think that a princess's kiss is going to change you back; it won't. Instead, to lift this curse, you need the cologne to go in reverse'. What the heck is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

Cody threw the bottle on the floor, being careful not to break it; out of nowhere, his iPhone started to ring. He hopped up onto the table, and he answered the phone; it was Bubbles calling him.

"Cody? Are you there?" Bubbles asked, over the phone.

Cody began shouting, "Bubbles! You and the girls have to help me! I've been turned into a frog by some weird cologne I got for free at the fragrance store!"

The phone, on Bubbles' end, was on speaker, and was recording the entire call; all the girls heard was croaking and ribbitting from the other side of the phone.

"What's Cody doing?" Buttercup asked aloud.

"Is he pulling a prank on us by putting a frog next to his phone?" Blossom asked, not sure what to make of the situation.

"What the heck is going on over there?" Bridgette said. "But whatever is going on, the frog sounds frantic… But what's Cody up to?"

"I can talk to animals while in PowerPuff Girl form, but…" Bubbles said, but she was not sure how she was going to be able to translate over the phone about the issue.

"But the antidote is something about putting the cologne in reverse, and I don't even know what the heck they're talking about!" Cody said, a frantic mess.

However, he failed to notice that his words were only translating into croaks, which was something that the girls could _not_ understand at all. Cody kept talking over the phone, but it was fruitless.

"We'd better go over there and see what's going through that dirty-blond head of his." Buttercup said, as she put down the tape she was using.

Bubbles hung up; she was really worried, and then the girls left the lab to go over to Cody's house; Bridgette put the cake back into the fridge after cleaning up her workspace.

Cody realized that no one could understand him; if he were to be seen in the house by either of his parents or by anyone else, he would obviously be mistaken for an actual frog, and be thrown out of his own house.

"I have to do something!" Cody said, as he hopped back into the water that was in the kitchen sink and started to sulk as he tried thinking of a solution to the riddle on the cologne bottle.

Outside, the girls were walking to Cody's house, talking about their ideas for why Cody was late, and the reasons for the croaking that they heard over the phone; they certainly had not clue what was going on.

"What could Cody be up to at his place?" Bridgette asked, not sure what to make of the croaking from the phone.

"It's not like Cody to pull pranks," Bubbles said. "Something is _definitely_ wrong."

"Bubbles is right," Blossom said. "When it comes to Cody, there's no funny business where he's concerned. He's not the prankster type."

"So what could be wrong?" Buttercup asked.

"Who am I kidding? I can't figure out the riddle, and everyone is going to think I'm an actual frog!" Cody said sadly, as he sank into the water.

Cody soon heard some chatter coming from outside; he recognized the girls' voices, so he immediately hopped onto the kitchen table to hide his present for Bubbles, before diving underneath the water in the sink to avoid being seen.

"Cody? Hello?" Bubbles said, knocking on Cody's door; the door opened from the knocking.

The girls merely looked at each other in curiosity, and they decided to go inside.

"Cody! Cody, are you in here?" Bubbles called out.

"It doesn't seem like anyone is in the house." Blossom said, as the girls looked around.

"What's this?" Bridgette said, as she found the cologne bottle on the floor. She picked it up, and shouted, "Hey, girls, over here!"

The girls then crowded around Bridgette, and saw the cologne bottle in her hand.

"What's that?" Buttercup asked.

"It's cologne," Bridgette said. "But look at the title of the bottle; it's not in English."

"It says… 'Igel Printze'… I don't understand this language; do you know what it is?" Bubbles said.

"According to the back of the bottle, the language is Basque," Bridgette said. "Let's get some translation website up here. We need to figure out what the title is."

Buttercup took out her iPhone and got onto a reliable website to translate the language. She said, "Okay, here it is. This should help us out a great deal; I just hope it's right."

"All right," Blossom said, as she typed the words in. "It's titled… "Frog Prince". That's weird."

"Frog Prince?" Bubbles asked. "Why would it be titled something like that?"

"Look on the back of the bottle," Bridgette said. "Oh, boy… Looks like Cody's been caught up in something out of the Frog Prince story."

"Oh, great!" Buttercup said, complaining. "Now we need to find a Princess to kiss Cody and change him back! And who knows where he is?"

"Not even close," Bridgette said. "The bottle says that a princess's kiss won't work. There's a riddle on here. 'To lift this curse, you need the cologne to go in reverse'."

"What the heck?" Blossom said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"First things first," Bubbles said. "We need to find Cody!"

"Hold on," Bridgette said. "We won't be able to understand him. Bubbles, you can talk to animals in PowerPuff form, right?"

"Oh, I get it," Blossom said. "We need to transform first."

Bridgette nodded before the girls grabbed for their compacts.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!"_

The girls then split up and searched around the house; Buttercup was up in the bedroom, trying to look for Cody, in frog form, while Blossom was in the cellar. Bridgette was looking around in the closet.

"Cody! Where are you?" Bubbles called, as she walked around the kitchen, trying to find her boyfriend.

Cody was under the water, but his eyes, which did not change, were facing upwards, to try getting Bubbles' attention.

Cody saw Bubbles coming; seeing she was in PowerPuff form, he hopped out of the water and started croaking up a storm.

"Bubbles! It's me, Cody!" Cody shouted, as he tried to communicate with Bubbles. "I need help! I've been turned into a frog by that cologne!"

"I found him!" Bubbles shouted; she got a large picture of water and Cody hopped in.

"There you are, Cody," Blossom said. "It's nice to see you… Albeit I wish the circumstances were a little nicer."

Cody started shouting, "You have to help! I need an antidote to this stupid curse!"

"Translation?" Bridgette asked.

"He's begging for help…" Bubbles said.

"Can't blame him," Buttercup said. "First "Bubbles And The Beast" and now "The Frog Prince", both of which has Bubbles as the heroine changing the unfortunate male lead back into her prince charming."

"The only clue we have is that stupid riddle. 'To lift this curse, you need the cologne to go in reverse'. What the heck does that mean?" Blossom said.

"I know how you feel…" Cody said. "But I haven't a clue, either."

"Cody empathizes." Bubbles said, translating for her friends.

"Go in reverse… Reverse…" Bridgette said, thinking and tapping her chin with her finger.

"What are you thinking, Bridgette?" Blossom asked.

Bridgette took the bottle and looked on the back of the bottle; turning to her friends, she said, "The cologne says that _it_ has to go in reverse, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Buttercup said. "What are you talking about?"

"I think it's referring to the fragrance itself," Bridgette said. "If we look at the ingredient list, get their opposites, and create a perfume out of it, then it could be the thing to get Cody out of his froggy mess."

"Bridgette, that is _GENIUS_!" Bubbles said. "I never would have thought of that!"

"Okay, let's get to work," Blossom said. "What's first on the list?"

"The list is quite long, and some of the ingredients are rather weird," Bridgette said. "We'll need to split up to tackle all of this; let's hope the Professor knows something about perfuming."

"What do we have?" Buttercup asked.

"First up on the list, it says neutralized peat moss, then we have vanilla bean, lime zest, rose oil, amongst other very strange things," Bridgette said. "So we'll need _normal_ peat moss, _cocoa _bean, _lemon_ zest, _violet_ oil, and… Oh, boy…"

"Oh, boy? What do you mean?" Blossom asked.

"We're going to need some… Pond scum." Bridgette said.

The girls gagged at the prospect. Peat moss was one thing, but scum was a whole different story.

"Let's just split up!" Buttercup said. "I can get the peat moss and pond scum."

"I'll find the lemons." Blossom volunteered.

"I can get violets." Bubbles said.

"That leaves me to find cocoa beans," Bridgette said. "I'll hang onto the bottle for specifications."

"Let's go!" Blossom said.

The girls ran out of the house and flew off in directions to find the right ingredients to cure Cody.

* * *

Bubbles still had Cody in the water picture, and she was being careful not to spill water, nor drop Cody out of the picture.

"Don't worry Cody," Bubbles said, being careful. "The girls and I will get you out of this mess; I promise."

"I don't have any doubts," Cody said. "But what I'm worried about is how we're going to find all of those ingredients. With the honey bee crisis, I'm sure some of these are going to be hard to come by."

"Bridgette once told me that cocoa flowers are pollinated by midge flies, not bees, so we'll be fine where that's concerned." Bubbles said, as she flew around town, trying to find violets for the perfume.

"You want me to help you make a custom cologne?" The Professor asked, over the compact line.

"Long story short, Cody somehow got handed a cologne that changed him into a frog; the only way to turn him back is to spritz him with a cologne that has ingredients and fragrances _opposite_ to what was in the original." Blossom explained, as she was flying overhead, trying to find a market that had lemons.

"I don't know much about perfuming, but I at least have the equipment for such things." The Professor said.

"Good enough," Blossom said. "We'll get the ingredients and meet you at the lab."

"Over and out." The Professor said, before hanging up.

Blossom managed to find a very large farmers' market; she landed on the ground, and soon saw all of the varieties of fruits, vegetables, and sweets that were in the market.

"Wow! They have organic candies here!" Blossom said, as she started looking around at all of the baked goods in the market. "Bridgette would love to se all of this!"

However, Blossom realized she was getting distracted; she shook her head as she started running around to try finding lemons.

"Lemons… Lemons… Lemons…" Blossom muttered, as she was looking around in the produce area for lemons.

Blossom soon found herself face to face with around eleven varieties of lemons. She had no idea which ones were which, or which variety was specified on the bottle. So, she called up Bridgette.

Bridgette was in another market across town, where they had unroasted cocoa beans, still in their husks, and she was looking around for a specific variety. She used her eyes to examine the best beans and read the labels.

'_Now, the beans need to be…' _Bridgette thought, but soon, her compact started beeping.

She picked up her compact, and she opened it, to reveal Blossom's face.

"What's the matter, Blossom?" Bridgette asked.

"Um… what variety of lemon should we use?" Blossom asked.

"There are eleven kinds, right?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes," Blossom confirmed. "I need some help choosing the right one."

"Just take one of each lemon; we'll get the zest of all of them and see what happens," Bridgette said. "As for me, I'm trying to find the right cocoa bean."

"I'll check in on Buttercup about the peat moss and pond scum." Blossom said.

"Good; I'll check on Bubbles about the violets." Bridgette said, as she and Blossom hung up.

Bridgette started looking back at the cocoa beans, and scanned them over; she soon laid eyes on some Malaysian cocoa beans; she smiled, and took a pound of them, while saying, "Perfect!"

Bridgette then picked up her compact and contacted Bubbles to see how progress was coming.

Bubbles was looking around in the woods, where she was charged with finding violets. She had Cody, still in the picture, and she sighed sadly.

"I really hope this idea of Bridgette's works," Bubbles said aloud. "What do you think?"

"Hey, this is _Bridgette_ we're talking about," Cody said, while croaking. "She knows what she's talking about."

"I hope so…" Bubbles said; she soon found some wild violets, and started to pluck them and gave them to Cody to hang onto; he was careful not to drop them into the water.

Bubbles' compact started going off, and she picked up, before saying, "Yes?"

"How are things going over there, Bubbles? Any luck with the violets?" Bridgette asked, over the phone.

"I got some," Bubbles said. "I'll check in with the Professor about the perfume equipment."

"Thanks, Bubbles," Bridgette said. "Let's hope this works."

Back with Buttercup, she was swimming in a pond; she was in PowerPuff form while trying to collect the peat moss and the algae. She had gotten a tip from Bridgette _not_ to handle the plants with her bare hands for safety reasons.

'_I can't believe I volunteered for THIS…' _Buttercup thought, as she swam around.

Seeing the red peat moss on some of the rocks, Buttercup gathered it up into a test tube and she soon came up for some air.

Her belt started flashing, and Buttercup picked up; Buttercup asked, "What's up?"

"Any luck with the peat moss and pond scum?" Blossom asked.

"Just got the peat moss," Buttercup said, showing Blossom the test tube. "But once I get out of this pond, I'm getting myself cleaned up."

"Good idea," Blossom said. "Bubbles is going to check in with the professor about the perfume equipment."

"Good," Buttercup said. "I'll get back to work, now…"

Buttercup dove back under the water to get the rest of the pond scum, or rather, algae.

Buttercup managed to get some more of the algae into another test tube, before getting up to the surface for more air.

"I got everything," Buttercup said, contacting the girls. "I'll meet you at the lab, after I get a shower."

"Great work," Blossom said. "Let's all meet up at the lab and get started."

"Hear that, Cody?" Bubbles said, having been listening to the girls. "We're all set!"

"Let's just hope this experiment has results on the first try." Cody said, with a sigh.

* * *

Immediately afterword, everyone had gathered at the lab with their ingredients.

"Hey, Buttercup, are you ready?" Bridgette called out.

Buttercup came out of another door, with a towel on her head and rubbing her head with it. She then said, "I'm ready to rock and roll. We don't want Bubbles and Cody's party to go off with Cody still being a frog, right?"

"No kidding." Blossom said.

"Let's get started!" Bubbles said.

Bridgette and Bubbles were getting the zest off of all of the lemons and putting them into one bowl to avoid problems; Bridgette passed the bowl over to the Professor, who took a breath to get the lemon scent before smiling.

"Okay, here are the cocoa beans!" Bridgette said, handing over the raw cocoa beans to the Professor.

"I just used the mortar and pestle to get the oils out of the violets," Blossom said, as she gave the violet petals to the Professor. "What's next?"

"Just the moss and the algae." Buttercup said, as she handed over the test tubes to the Professor.

"This is just perfect, girls," The Professor said. "Now I need to get to work, so stay patient."

"Okay!" Bridgette said, as the girls left the lab to give the Professor some privacy to work.

The professor put every ingredient into the distilling machine to create the perfume.

"Professor, are you sure this will cure Cody?" Poochi asked.

"It has to," The Professor said. "I don't think Bubbles would want her boyfriend to stay a frog, would she?"

"Dad is right," Ken said. "I certainly wouldn't want my significant other to be an animal that was stuck under some dumb spell."

"If only this "Frog Prince" story just had a quick and easy kiss cure," Blossom said, as she and the girls went to the couch to sit down. "That would make things so much quicker."

Bubbles, meanwhile, had put Cody in a large terrarium with water in it to help Cody stay moist.

"Don't worry, Cody," Bubbles said. "We'll cure you."

"I have no doubt." Cody said, with a croak and a nod.

"Hey, Blossom, remember that one time we met a normal river frog that was hit with Black Z rays?" Buttercup said, beginning to tease her friend.

"Don't even start," Blossom said, getting a little upset. "I brushed my teeth and used mouthwash for three hours straight after that."

Bubbles sat down with her friends once again, and she was really worried about Cody.

"Blossom kissed a frog?" Bridgette asked; she was on the verge of laughing from the absurdity of it.

"I was desperate at the time…" Blossom said, leaving it at that.

"The perfume is done!" The Professor said, as he came in with the perfume.

"That's great news!" Bubbles said, as she took the bottle. "Now to give Cody a spritz."

The girls took Cody out of the terrarium, and she put him on the table, before giving him a kiss on the head.

The girls would have gagged; however, since they knew it was Cody, they did not gag or anything.

"Here goes nothing." Bubbles said, as she took the bottle and squeezed the atomizer. A cloud of the perfume was sprayed onto Cody, and after a few seconds, it seemed like nothing was happening.

"Aw, man!" Buttercup complained, not happy about the situation.

"Hold on…" Bridgette said.

Cody started glowing, and then after his body started changing into some radical shapes before he lifted off the table, and a spiral of what seemed to be magic enveloped Cody, before Cody changed back into his human self.

"You… You did it!" Cody said, as he then hugged Bubbles before lifting her and spinning her around in joy. "I'm human again!"

"I'm so glad that a kiss wasn't needed this time around." Blossom said.

"Reminds you too much of what happened?" Buttercup asked, teasingly.

"Um… Yes." Blossom said, sweat dropping.

Cody and Bubbles kissed once again, getting 'aw' from Blossom, Ken, Poochi, and the Professor, a gag from Buttercup, and a shrug from Bridgette.

"Ready for the party?" Cody said, as he and Bubbles hugged.

"_Let's do it!"_ The girls said, as they all got started.

The cake was cut, and the happy pair exchanged their presents.

"Wow! You made this for me?" Cody said, taking out the vest from the bag.

He put it on, and Bubbles only had hearts in her eyes because her boyfriend was looking so handsome. The others agreed, but they had eyes for others. Bridgette was an exception to the rule.

"I love all of this makeup!" Bubbles said, as she took the makeup out of the bag.

"I chose colors that would bring out your eyes the best. As for the perfume, I got a mandarin orange and pink grapefruit perfume for you. For some reason, the store I got it at was the same place I was given that curse cologne."

Bubbles put some of the makeup on and she smiled; Cody had hearts in his eyes at seeing his girlfriend all dolled up.

Cody and Bubbles kissed once more, while Cody took in her new perfume and he blushed at the sweet scent.

"That's so sweet!" Blossom said, as she saw the scene.

"I guess so…" Buttercup said, not really caring; she was more focused on the cake Bridgette made.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that this fairytale had a happy ending." Bridgette said, as she ate some more of her cake.

Bubbles and Cody kept hugging each other with their lips locked, and they were still at it for a few minutes.

"Anyone willing to save them some cake?" Bridgette said, not thinking they were going to stop any time soon.

"_Let's."_ The rest of the group said.

Everyone started laughing.

* * *

**Sorry about this one being a little cliché. I had to think of something. So, I hope you enjoyed it. Oh, by the way, peat moss and algae… ARE NOT, I repeat, **_**ARE NOT**_** used in perfume! I just added this in for the sake of proving the point about this perfume turning the person who wears it into a frog… Besides, this is fan **_**FICTION**_**, remember?**

**Next time…**

**Blossom: Ricardo's birthday is coming up! And I think I know **_**just**_** the girl to make the cake! Hey, Bridge…**

**Buttercup: Let **_**me**_** do it! Please?!**

**Bubbles: Are you sure? You're not exactly used to the kitchen, Buttercup…**

**Bridgette: Time for me to play baking teacher… Let's just hope Buttercup knows what she's in for.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Here's another one! Today, Buttercup shows a more vulnerable side to her when she tries her hand at baking from scratch. She wants to make Ricardo's birthday cake. Let's just say that it doesn't end well the first… eight or so times. This is where the mistress of the kitchen, Bridgette, comes in to help Buttercup, and her training regimen is **_**NOT**_** easy. Let's hope things end well… Don't want anyone getting sick, right?**

* * *

_Birthday Cake Conundrum_

One afternoon, at Ricardo's house, he had just gotten off one of his weight machines and started to stretch to relax his muscles. He had a towel around the back of his neck and over his shoulders, while he had no shirt on, and was wearing gym shorts, in grey. He walked past his calendar on the wall of his bedroom; he looked at it, and he smiled, as a certain date was circled.

"I can't wait. I'm going to be sixteen in a week!" Ricardo said, as he smiled and chuckled.

He picked up his cell phone, and called up Blossom, ready to ask her for a favor.

Blossom was in her bedroom, doing her homework, focusing on trying to get the questions right; fighting monsters and such on a day-to-day basis made it hard for her to get good grades, but with Bridgette's help as well as her own hard work, she managed to get by.

Her cell phone started ringing, and she picked up; she said, "Hello? Oh, Ricardo? What's that? Oh, I almost forgot about it! I'll tell the girls about it. Don't worry, Buttercup is no doubt, going to be told."

"Thanks, cousin," Ricardo said, on the other end of the phone. "I also am excited for one of Bridgette's cakes for my birthday. Buttercup being at my birthday party would be the bees knees."

"No doubt, I can get her to do that!" Blossom said. "See you later."

Blossom hung up with a smile. She giggled, and then he said, "Buttercup is going to be thrilled at this news. I don't think she's even aware how much Ricardo likes her."

* * *

The next day, almost everyone was hanging out at the lab, doing their own thing, having fun on their own. Buttercup was reading a sports magazine, and Bubbles and Bridgette were making turnovers together.

"Hey girls!" Blossom said, as she approached everyone at the lab. She had a big smile on her face and she was really cheerful.

"Morning, Blossom." Bubbles said, as she turned around to look at Blossom; she also noticed Blossom's good mood, regarding Ricardo's birthday.

"You're certainly in a good mood today," Buttercup said, putting down her magazines. "What's the matter with you? Did Luke give you a smooch or something? If so, don't go blabbing about it to us."

"Oh, a special day for my family is coming up. A birthday is actually around the corner, to be precise." Blossom said, as she smiled with a giggle.

The girls looked at one another; they immediately assumed that it was Blossom's birthday that was coming up. But they knew that her birthday was not for a while, so they decided to douse the fire and tell her straight.

"Your birthday isn't for a few months, Blossom. Don't go celebrating something that isn't here yet." Bridgette said, turning around, and crossing her arms.

"Why are you getting all excited about your birthday when it won't be coming for a while?" Bubbles inquired.

"Oh, no, I'm not talking about _MY_ birthday," Blossom said. "But my family _is _celebrating a birthday. It's not Kasey's birthday, either; nor is it my parents'."

"Then, Blossom, for coconuts' sake, whose birthday is it?!" Bridgette asked, really annoyed with Blossom and her hyper attitude; she was not sure what was going through Blossom's head, and she intended to find out what it was.

"It's going to be _Ricardo's_ birthday in a few days." Blossom announced.

Buttercup dropped her magazine, and she turned around to Blossom, before shouting, "Ricardo's birthday?!"

"That's right," Blossom confirmed. "And don't worry, Buttercup, you're invited to his party; Ricardo said that he wouldn't have his party without his girlfriend at his side."

"Oh, man, I have to get a birthday present for him…" Buttercup said, fretting over what to get her boyfriend for his big day. She had never given a boy a present before; it was usually girls giving _her_ gifts, up until recently.

"And which brings me to the next subject," Blossom said, and she turned to Bridgette. "Bridgette, I need a favor from you. It's about Ricardo's cake."

'_Cake? That's it!' _Buttercup thought, getting an idea. _'I'll try and make the cake!'_

"Can you be the one to…" Blossom began, about to ask Bridgette to be in charge of the cake; however, there was about to be a twist in the mix.

"Let me make the cake; please!" Buttercup said, jumping in all of a sudden.

"YOU?!" Blossom said, surprised. "_You_ want to make Ricardo's birthday cake? Are you sure?"

"Yes! Me!" Buttercup said, getting a little desperate for a 'yes'. "I want to try my hand at baking! I _really_ want to make Ricardo's birthday cake! Please? _PLEASE, BLOSSOM?!_"

Blossom merely looked at Bridgette, who shrugged; Blossom turned back to Buttercup, and then she said, "Okay, Buttercup… If you really want to do it, then you can make the cake…"

"Yes! Oh, you won't regret this, Blossom! I'm going to go home and get started on it right now!" Buttercup said, as she bolted out the door to the lab to head home.

"That's certainly out of character for Buttercup," Bridgette said. "Then again, Buttercup always acts abnormally whenever her boyfriend is the topic of discussion."

However, Bridgette noticed her friends were not as surprised as Bridgette was. In fact, they seemed a little worried about the situation at hand. They seemed to be looking at one another, as if they knew something was wrong.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this…?" Bubbles asked her friends, as she turned around to them; she had a pretty good idea as to how good a chef Buttercup was.

"Let's hope our stomachs can take whatever Buttercup has for us." Blossom said, with a shudder.

"What are the two of you talking about? You sound so freaked out." Bridgette inquired.

"Buttercup isn't exactly the best when it comes to working in the kitchen…" Bubbles explained; she had no other way to put it without being rude about the matter.

"Why did you let her make the cake, then?!" Bridgette asked Blossom, clearly not liking where the situation was going. "How do you know she won't burn the cake or something?!"

"Buttercup seemed really passionate about it; that seemed good enough. Besides, we've never seen her bake before, other than with you at our sides helping." Blossom said, sweat dropping and trying to remain calm; she was really straining herself to keep a straight face.

Bridgette had a really strong point on the subject; Blossom could not, nor would she deny it. She also knew Bridgette was not about to let this go easily.

Bridgette slapped herself in the face, and she said, "Ugh, fine! Look, I'm going to go and check up on Buttercup; if she's having a hard time doing this, then I'm stepping in to help!"

Bridgette left the lab in a hurry, trying to catch up to Buttercup, or at least stop Buttercup from baking without any help. If she found that Buttercup was doing just fine, Bridgette decided not to step in or help at all.

* * *

Back at Buttercup's house, Buttercup was all alone in the house; the rest of her family were out running errands and such, so she was in the kitchen, working on the cake.

"Okay, this, that, etc…" Buttercup said, as she read over a list of basic ingredients found in a cake; she put on an apron, put her hair back, and she cracked her knuckles before washing her hands and getting down to work.

She just dumped unmeasured amounts of flour, sugar, and such into a large bowl, and just tossed in eggs and such into the bowl before mixing it until lumps were gone; no lumps, no bubbles.

"Perfect!" Buttercup said, as she poured the cake batter into the pans.

However, what Buttercup did not realize was that she had spilled batter all over the kitchen, flour was on her face, and there were ingredients all over the flour; she had her pans prepared right, though.

Buttercup immediately put them in the oven; unfortunately, she put the temperature up way too high.

"Now I just need to let those bake for about half an hour." Buttercup said, as she dusted off her hands and started to go and clean up her mess.

After about ten or so minutes of Buttercup cleaning up, she smelled something burning; Buttercup turned to the oven and saw smoke coming out of it.

"NO!" Buttercup shouted.

She grabbed oven mittens, opened the oven, grabbed the cakes, which were black and charred, and put them down on the cooling racks that she had before the smoke detectors went off and the sprinkles went on, too.

The smoky smell was still in the air, but Buttercup's hair was wet, her cake was both burnt and soggy, and the kitchen was a complete and utter mess.

"Damn…" Buttercup said, as she sighed in defeat.

Bridgette then came into the kitchen, but she grabbed a napkin to filter out the smoke in the air as she came in to check on Buttercup and the progress of the cakes.

"Buttercup, what the heck happened in here?!" Bridgette shouted, as she saw the mess that Buttercup made; Bridgette, being professional at heart, saw this huge mess as a big no-no.

"Hi, Bridgette… How are you doing? And what are you doing here?" Buttercup sheepishly said, as she knew what would happen next: another one of Bridgette's lectures.

Bridgette cracked all of the windows of the kitchen and the house, before face-palming herself in annoyance with Buttercup as she said, "I came to check in on the cake; I was informed you're not exactly the best chef in the city."

"Buttercup…" Bridgette said, ready to shout. "What happened in here?"

"Um… I burned the cake I tried making…" Buttercup said, as if she was stating a fact.

"That is _NOT_ what I meant… For crying out coconuts, Buttercup, _HOW_ did this happen?" Bridgette said, as she approached Buttercup, clearly upset with Buttercup's ineptitude in the kitchen.

"That is…" Buttercup said, trying to make an excuse; she knew that she could not.

Bridgette noticed something about the oven; she turned to the oven, and her jaw dropped really low, before snapping, "You had the oven on over _500_ degrees Fahrenheit?! What were you thinking, Buttercup?!"

"I was thinking that this could speed up the baking process…" Buttercup said, nervous.

"That's the typical answer… Buttercup, you novice, don't you know that temperatures on an oven that high are strictly for large, and I mean _large_ pieces of meat?!" Bridgette said, thumb-jerking at the oven.

"Well… No. But you're right about me being a novice…" Buttercup said, sheepishly.

"I thought I went over this with you and the girls when you were helping me out with that large order at my house a while back…" Bridgette said, with a groan, and a slap to her own face; she was clearly upset with Buttercup.

Buttercup stifled a nervous chuckle, but Bridgette merely rolled her eyes; she turned and saw the mess that Buttercup made, and saw all of the wrecked bags of flour and such, plus some eggs that were cracked, but not open. Overall, it was a huge mess, and Bridgette was _not_ happy about it; it was a health and safety hazard at its finest.

"Buttercup, _PLEASE_ tell me you weighed everything out…" Bridgette said, getting a little upset. "Please? Did you weigh all of your ingredients, or didn't you?"

Buttercup did not really say a word, and started to shudder a little bit. This immediately gave Bridgette a pretty good idea about what the answer was: Buttercup did not weigh her ingredients. Bridgette examined the mess, and saw that there was a lot less sugar left than the flour, and there were still a few eggs left over; she put them back in the fridge.

"Were you trying to make a High-Ratio cake?" Bridgette asked of Buttercup.

"A what kind of cake?" Buttercup asked Bridgette, not knowing what she meant.

"Should've known… A high-ratio cake is a cake that has more sugar than flour in it, okay?" Bridgette explained.

"I was sort of just winging it…" Buttercup said.

"Okay, Buttercup, you don't _wing it_ in the bakery. Precision is _KEY_ in this industry." Bridgette said, as she tried her to best to keep her cool; she was slowly failing.

"So… I should just get a…" Buttercup began, but…

"If you say that you're going to get a cake mix, throw that thought out the window _right now_." Bridgette said, cutting in.

"What, why?" Buttercup asked, as Bridgette essentially read her mind.

"Okay, one, in my book, using a cake mix is cheating, and two, the taste and texture is going to be too obvious if it's a mix." Bridgette said, as she started to help clean up.

"Why are you trying to clean…" Buttercup said, wondering what Bridgette had in mind.

"The sooner we get this mess cleaned up, the sooner I can start teaching." Bridgette said, as she got on the floor, got out a sponge, and started washing the floor.

"Teaching?" Buttercup asked. "What are you talking about, Bridgette?"

"I'm going to show you the right way to bake! I've got quite a bit of cash in my purse, so you need to listen carefully and remember: any mistakes, I _can_ detect." Bridgette said, as she started scrubbing the cabinets, once she finished with the floor.

"Okay…" Buttercup said, as she stepped over to the counter to start washing it.

After what seemed like a few hours, Bridgette and Buttercup were wearing aprons and Bridgette was ready as ever to be a good teacher in the bakery world to her novice friend.

"Okay," Bridgette said. "Here's how this is going to work, Buttercup. I'm going to give you a basic formula and there will be no specifications on ingredients or method whatsoever. What _will_ be specified are time, temperature, and number of eggs."

"All right… But are you sure that this method will help me learn?" Buttercup asked.

"Trust me, it will," Bridgette said. "None of the cake formulas are specified; you'll have no idea what kind of cake the formula is for, and any mess-ups, any mistakes, I can, and _will_ detect."

Buttercup swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded; she knew Bridgette was a tough critic and Buttercup knew it was not easy to pull the wool over her eyes. Buttercup took the formula and decided to get to work.

Bridgette sat down, and took out another copy of the same formula; she looked at the paper, and muttered, "Hopefully Buttercup won't screw up chiffon cake."

"Let's see… Eggs… Flour, oil…" Buttercup said, as she started to get to work.

Rather than whipping the egg whites and putting the egg yolks with the sugar and flour, and such, Buttercup put the eggs with the sugar and beat them until they were lighter in color, which she thought would have been fine.

"Perfect." Buttercup said, not knowing she completely messed up.

She added the rest of the wet ingredients and mixed until the batter was homogenous, with no lumps in it. Buttercup then weighed off the flour. The problem was, she used _bread_ flour, not _cake_ flour.

"Just the right amount of flour." Buttercup said, as she was feeling achievement.

She added the salt to the mix, and Buttercup weighed off baking _soda_, not powder; Buttercup had no clue what she had just did.

"Now just put it in the oven and let it bake." Buttercup said, putting the cake into the oven, and closing it; she then set the timer and started to clean up the kitchen.

Once the cake was finished, Buttercup got it out of the pan after it had cooled; Bridgette gave her advice that while the cake was cooling, to get the ingredients out for the next formula; unknown to Buttercup, the next cake was pound cake.

Buttercup served a piece to Bridgette; no frosting, just to be safe.

Bridgette took a fork, and took a bite of it; her face became a little upset, and she chewed a few more minutes before drinking some water, after some coughing.

"Bridgette, what happened?!" Buttercup asked, as she got Bridgette a napkin; Bridgette wiped her mouth, and then Bridgette got right into her critique.

"I should be the one asking _you_ that," Bridgette said, as she started getting into the analysis of the cake Buttercup "made". "Okay, first off, you used bread flour; the texture is just too chewy for cake; bread flour has a _lot_ more protein in it than _cake_ flour, which is what _should_ have been in there, not to mention the fact that you over mixed the batter. Secondly, I was actually watching what you were doing every now and again; you used the whole eggs and used the muffin method, that is, you put the dry ingredients together, and the wet ingredients separately before bringing them together. While for some cakes, that is correct, but you used the eggs _whole_, not just the yolk. You also used baking _soda_, not baking _powder_, and the difference is that baking powder is a combination of equal proportions of baking soda and tartaric acid, also known as cream of tatar."

"What was I supposed to do with the whites?" Buttercup asked, with a shrug.

"It's called _'whipping'_, Buttercup," Bridgette said. "This particular kind of cake requires a meringue to compensate for the lack of solid fat; that, and it's _hard_, if not impossible to whip air into vegetable oil. You also didn't have the cake in the oven long enough, so it was a tad underbaked. So, congrats, Buttercup; you screwed up Chiffon cake."

"Okay…" Buttercup said, clearly upset with herself for messing up. "I'll know for next time."

"Time for you to get the next formula done; this time, I gave you a few clues, and then the rest is up to you. I hope you can get this one right; if not, it is what it is, and you learn more from failure than you do from success, anyway."

"I'm on it, Bridgette!" Buttercup said, as she dashed back into the kitchen.

This time, the formula was for a genoise, something only Bridgette knew.

Buttercup managed to get started one weighing out the ingredients for the genoise. She looked back at the formula sheet, and she saw the first hint.

'_Melt the butter and add it in __LAST__'_ was what the card said.

Buttercup nodded, and started to get to work. This time, she double checked her flour, and made sure that it was cake flour that time around.

Buttercup put the sugar and the flour in the same bowl and she started to whip the eggs, whole, but she was not gently heating them like a genoise normally would have.

"I think I'm doing fine…" Buttercup said, as she continued with the baking.

Bridgette, off to the side, saw what Buttercup was doing; Bridgette thought, _'Okay, she has most of this right, but she isn't heating the eggs.'_

Bridgette, as part of her training, decided not to tell Buttercup anything; she knew it was best for Buttercup to learn from her mistakes without being told what they were.

Buttercup soon poured the melted butter into the mix and mixed it, rather than folding; Bridgette saw this, but kept her mouth shut.

"Now to put it in the oven, let it bake, and boom." Buttercup said, as she put the cake into the oven and baked it.

Buttercup started cleaning up, before Bridgette put down Buttercup's next formula "exam".

Once the cake was out of the oven, out of the pan, and cooled, Buttercup brought a piece of the cake over to Bridgette.

Once again, Bridgette took a bite; she chewed for a few seconds before swallowing, and chasing the cake down with some water.

"So…?" Buttercup said.

"You did a little better this time," Bridgette said. "But there's still some errors you made. You over mixed the batter again, for one thing, and you forgot to gently heat the eggs as you whisked them. Other than that, things were fine."

"So I made some strides, that's good…" Buttercup said. "But what else can I do? I'm supposed to be making Ricardo's cake, and with your ability to catch my screw-ups, there's no way I'll be able to do it right."

"Not if you keep up the practice. Tell you what: one more formula, and we'll see where you're at. Then we can make the cake together." Bridgette said. _'Now let's hope she won't mess up something as simple as pound cake.'_

"This formula has one pound of the basics… No flavorings, no salt… What kind of cake is this?" Buttercup said, not exactly impressed.

She got out the unsalted butter and used one of the rolling pins to literally _pound_ the butter to soften it up.

Bridgette, watching this, inwardly groaned, thinking, _'Is she serious?!'_

Buttercup looked at the hint on the card.

'_You need to use your electric mixer and treat this particular cake like it's cookie dough, but the creaming and mixing takes a little longer than normal.' _

'_Cookie dough?' _Buttercup thought; she put the butter into the mixer, along with the sugar, and turned the mixer on to beat the butter and sugar together.

'_Good work, Buttercup.' _Bridgette thought, with a small smile and a nod.

Buttercup slowly added the eggs one at a time, as the mix was ready for them; she remembered what Bridgette would do where cookies were concerned, and since the hint said to treat the cake batter like it was a cookie dough, Buttercup followed the hint.

'_Buttercup is doing fine so far… Let's just see how she does with the flour and the mixing portion of that.' _Bridgette thought; she hid a smile, but she was overall, very impressed with the improvements Buttercup had made throughout the whole day.

Buttercup started to slowly add the cake flour; she double-checked the flour, and she was being very careful not to spill, nor to go to fast, either. She knew not to overbeat the cake batter, either; that was a major difficulty for Buttercup.

'_I think I'm doing fine.' _Buttercup thought; she snuck a glance at Bridgette, who had a strong poker face on. Bridgette looked indifferent, but kept watching Buttercup.

Once the pound cake was out of the oven, and cooled, she cut a piece of it, and Buttercup brought the piece over to Bridgette, who was waiting at the table for Buttercup's cake.

Bridgette took a bite, and after a few chews, and a swallow, Bridgette smiled at Buttercup and said, "You did great, Buttercup. This is your best, yet. Still needs a little more creaming time, but otherwise, you did fine."

"WHOOO!" Buttercup shouted, cheering and feeling better about making Ricardo's cake.

"Now let's get that birthday cake done! Both of us!" Buttercup said.

"First things first, do you know what kind of cake Ricardo likes?" Bridgette asked.

Buttercup's face then paled, as she realized that she was unaware of what Ricardo's favorite cake was.

"Um… No." Buttercup sheepishly said; she never really got to ask Ricardo about it.

Bridgette groaned when she learned of this information. She then picked up her cell phone, and started scanning her contact list.

"What are you doing?" Buttercup asked, as she watched Bridgette begin a call.

"Learning what Ricardo's favorite cake is." Bridgette said, as she dialed Blossom's cell phone number, and started waiting for Blossom to pick up the phone.

Blossom and Luke were in the park, sharing some ice cream, when Blossom's cell phone number started going off; Blossom picked up, and she said, "Hello? Hey, what can I do for you, Bridgette?"

"Hi, Blossom," Bridgette said, as she was helping Buttercup clean the kitchen. "I'm helping Buttercup out with the cake; do you know what kind of cake is Ricardo's favorite? We want to make sure we have our facts straight here."

"Oh, he _loves_ a nice, chocolate chiffon cake! I'm not really that different when it comes to that. He also loves buttercream frosting, and strawberries." Blossom said, over the phone.

Bridgette was writing things down and she said, "Okay, thanks, Blossom."

Bridgette hung up and said, "Looks like we're going back to the chiffon cake; a _chocolate_ chiffon, that is."

"Ch-Chocolate Chiffon?! I screwed up normal chiffon!" Buttercup said, really freaking out at this prospect.

"Chill out," Bridgette said, as she stood up. "I'll help you out. That's why I'm here."

"Oh, thank you, Bridgette," Buttercup said. "But… I used up every ingredient in the house…"

"Calm down, girl," Bridgette said, as she picked up her purse. "We're going grocery shopping for Ricardo's cake. We're going to need eggs, and a _lot_ of them; cake flour, cocoa powder, everything. Let's get to work."

"Why not transform to get to the store quicker?" Buttercup said.

"As much of a good idea as that is, I think it might be safe not to risk that. So let's just go on foot." Bridgette said, as she put her phone away and made a list of what they needed.

She and Buttercup left out the door of the house; Buttercup left a note on the counter to explain to her family why there was a lack of food in the house all of a sudden and quite a few cakes.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Bridgette?" Buttercup said, as she and Bridgette were at the store, in the baking aisle; Buttercup had some Dutch Process cocoa powder in hand, but she was not sure whether or not to take it. She

"It's the Dutch Process cocoa, right?" Bridgette asked, as she was holding a pretty large sack of cake flour, and put it into the cart; she also had a sack of sugar, an eighteen pack of eggs, and some Madagascar vanilla beans.

"Yes, it is…" Buttercup said, as she looked over the box again; she was a little unsure of her choice of the product, but she knew to trust Bridgette with her knowledge of baking.

"Then that's the right one," Bridgette said. "In this industry, knowing your ingredients is key; make one mistake and the whole thing can be thrown off by quite a bit."

"I know you're an expert and all…" Buttercup said, a little nervous. "It's _MY_ skill that I'm worried about."

"With me at your side, we can make a great cake!" Bridgette said, confident.

"Okay," Buttercup said. "But after that one mess-up with the chiffon cake earlier…"

"You _WILL_ do better because you learned where you went wrong," Bridgette said, putting a hand on Buttercup's shoulder. "I know it; just trust me on this."

Buttercup smiled a little more, and then she said, "Thanks, Bridgette; now let's pay and go before we run out of time. The party might not be for about a day or so, but I still need practice."

"Okay; I got the powdered sugar, eggs, etc., and everything for this cake. I also got some food colorings and such; I can bring some decorating tools over from my house." Bridgette said, looking over the list.

"That's great, Bridgette," Buttercup said, as they soon made it to the check-out area for the store. "I really appreciate this."

"No problem," Bridgette said, with a smile. "I just hope Ricardo likes what we come up with. We know that he likes chocolate chiffon cake with buttercream and strawberries, but we need to go all out with this; we need to go over the top, above and beyond with this cake. Taste-wise, I think we're fine, but aesthetically, we need work. We can't just go standard."

"Why do you say that?" Buttercup asked; she knew presentation was key, but Bridgette had never been so passionate before.

"This is the first cake you've made for Ricardo, right? That means you need to go above and beyond to impress him," Bridgette said. "That applies to the industry no matter what! It can't be run-of-the-mill, nor can it be standard! It has be beautiful, bold, bright, overall, it has to be the best you've ever done!"

"I never thought of it like that…" Buttercup said. "But me in the kitchen is nearly impossible to imagine."

"That's where I come in, Buttercup," Bridgette said. "I'll meet up with you at the house once we're done here; I have to head home to pick up some things and bring them over."

"Thank you!" Buttercup said, as she and Bridgette shared a high-five with each other.

Speaking of whom, Ricardo, at his house, was helping his family with decorating the house for his birthday party.

"I can't wait for the party!" Ricardo said, as he finished putting up the streamers; he then hung up the piñata before getting down off the ladder.

Looking at them, he loved the decorations so far; however, he knew he had something to look forward to.

"I'm so excited to see what Buttercup got me for a birthday present. I wonder what it could be?" Ricardo said, as he thought about the presents he would get from his family, and his girlfriend, Buttercup.

_~Fantasy~_

Ricardo was looking at a very long box that was green with a silver ribbon. Buttercup was standing next to him and she was smiling with a tint in her cheeks; she was really excited to see what Ricardo thought of the gift she got him.

"Happy birthday, Ricardo!" Buttercup said, as she started to act a little shy with Ricardo, her beloved boyfriend. She shuffled and fidgeted a little bit in shyness, trying to act all sweet.

Ricardo smiled, as he began to open the box. He pulled the ribbon, untying the bow that was done with it, and soon, the box was unwrapped with the paper being ripped very well.

"Buttercup, you got me a new compound bow! And in silver, too?!" Ricardo said.

He took out a large, silver, compound bow with silver trim; the arrows that came with them were silver with red, and purple feathers on the end with a black arrow tip.

"I did." Buttercup said, sweetly, as she had a sultry look in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, Buttercup, you're such a sweetheart of a tomboy!" Ricardo said, as he lifted Buttercup up; he moved in for a kiss, when…

_~End of Fantasy~_

"Yeah, that _would_ be great if Buttercup got me that for a present," Ricardo said, going red in the face from love. "I can just hear the romantic violin music now. Oh, Buttercup, I can't wait to see what you got me for my birthday."

Back with Bubbles and Blossom, who were at the lab, making their presents for Ricardo, Bubbles asked Blossom, "So, how are the cakes coming along?"

"I don't really know," Blossom said. "Bridgette _did_ call, asking about what Ricardo's favorite cake was."

"Bridgette must have seen Buttercup's baking and just decided to intervene," Bubbles suggested. "I wonder what Buttercup managed to learn from Bridgette."

"Probably a lot," Blossom said, as she was doing best to make the fletching on the arrows just right for Ricardo. She also tried to get the pile on correctly without hurting herself. "Sheesh, making these arrows is hard work."

"Not everything comes as easy as falling off a log, right?" Bubbles said.

"You're right; what was I thinking? It's probably something Buttercup will be able to learn quickly; with Bridgette for an instructor, who wouldn't?" Blossom said; the two girls started laughing at this and then they got back to work.

* * *

Back with Bridgette and Buttercup, they were working hard on Ricardo's birthday cake. Buttercup was sifting the dry goods, which included the flour and the cocoa powder while Bridgette was whipping the egg whites and the egg yolks in separate bowls for the cake.

"This is actually a lot easier with you here, Bridgette," Buttercup said, as she soon prepared the pans for baking. "You're saving me a great deal of trouble and you're helping me out a lot. So, how come we're not using lubricant spray for this again?"

"The Chiffon needs something to cling on to rise because it has egg whites in it," Bridgette said, simply. "Kind of like you trying to hang on to a rock climbing wall during a mini earthquake; if you can't get a good grip because of the oils or whatever is stuck on that rock, you'll fall down and get hurt."

"Nice sports analogy, Bridge," Buttercup said, impressed. "You really know your stuff."

"Thanks," Bridgette said. "I've wanted to be a pastry chef since I was a little girl; I guess that's not a surprise to you, is it?"

"No, it's not a surprise; you told us that once before anyway. It's kind of like me; I've always wanted to be a wrestler, since I grew up with a wrestler for a dad." Buttercup said, as she turned on the oven.

"Guess you _do_ have a more feminine side to you," Bridgette said, as she finished the yolks and the whites. "You just don't show it unless it has something to do with Ricardo; not that I blame you for it."

"You're so stubborn about love, so what are you talking about?" Buttercup said, smartly. "Josh is really into you; I don't understand why you just don't give in to him already."

Bridgette's face tensed up, she stubbornly said, "Don't go all sentimental on me, Buttercup, and don't you _dare_ mention that name around me, okay?!"

"You _did_ let him kiss you during the play…" Buttercup said, teasingly. "Must of made your heart thump."

"Okay, one, I didn't feel a thing, and two, that was _strictly_ acting, Buttercup," Bridgette said, as she started adding the dry goods to the cake and beating it. "Besides, he faked the kiss, anyway. Doesn't count if tape is over your mouth, so that was acting, no matter which way you look at it."

"And when you saved him on the beach…" Buttercup said, about to tease.

"That wasn't a kiss, it was CPR – _**TOTALLY**_ different scenario! You have to stop bugging me about it! You worry about your love life, I'll worry about mine, okay?" Bridgette protested, getting a little defensive; she was right about her first encounters with Josh.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Buttercup said, trying to calm Bridgette down. "But you know Josh likes you."

"Does he really?" Bridgette said, cocking an eyebrow, as she poured the chocolate paste that she and Buttercup made into the whipped yolks.

Bridgette then slowly started to add the dry ingredients while Buttercup was ready to add the meringues.

"Now!" Bridgette said, as she asked Buttercup to put in one third of the egg whites.

Bridgette did the folding of the meringue into the cake batter; Buttercup added the rest of the egg whites in two installments, and the girls were careful about monitoring the folding of the meringue. Bridgette did one last fold, before carefully putting the batter into the ungreased pan.

Buttercup carefully put it into the oven to avoid it falling apart on them; the girls sighed in relief as they managed to get it into the oven with no problem.

"Whew… Done," Buttercup said, wiping sweat from her eyebrows. "Now to get something to eat."

"Don't relax just yet, Buttercup," Bridgette said, getting out powdered sugar, unsalted butter, and shortening. "We still have to do the decorating portion."

"Oh, yeah…" Buttercup said, as she started to help clean up their current mess; she got out a sponge and some cleaning spray to start cleaning.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ricardo, Blossom, Bubbles, Cody, and the rest of Blossom's family were at Ricardo's house, helping set things up for the party.

"That's weird," Blossom said, quietly; she was setting the table for their dinner. "Bridgette and Buttercup aren't here yet; what's taking them so long?"

"They're probably still working on the cake," Bubbles whispered back to Blossom, as she filled the snack bowls with a lot of party foods for the occasion. "Give them some time; Bridgette says that it takes a while for all the components of a cake to come together."

"You're right about that," Blossom replied in return. "I just hope nothing's wrong…"

"Everything will be okay," Bubbles said, as she was helping. "With Bridgette in charge, they'll be fine."

"So long as _she's_ the one in charge of this…" Blossom said, with a sweat drop; she was really not that confident where Buttercup was concerned.

Back with Buttercup and Bridgette, Bridgette had just lifted the pastry bag up, and she said, "Good, we're done."

"It looks great, Bridgette!" Buttercup said.

"Let's hope it tastes just as good," Buttercup said, as she got out the box. "Ready to get the cake to my man?"

"Ready," Bridgette said. "Let's go please some pallets."

At the party, everyone was mingling, trying to do their best not to worry about the cake.

However, Ricardo was the most concerned, but his concern was more about where Buttercup was. He wanted his girlfriend to be there with him no matter what.

"Where could Buttercup _be_?" Ricardo said.

"Um, she's probably still working with Bridgette on the your birthday cake!" Blossom said, trying to calm Ricardo down and be able to help him be patient. Sadly, it did not seem to work.

"We're here!" Bridgette said, as she and Buttercup came in with the cake.

"Buttercup, you're here!" Ricardo said, as he hugged his girlfriend; Buttercup blushed as this happened, and she smiled a little bit.

"Happy birthday," Bridgette said. "Buttercup and I made this cake for you."

"Thank you, so much!" Ricardo said, as he took the cake box and put it on the table.

Buttercup was inwardly praying for the cake to be just as good visually as it was taste-wise. She hoped Ricardo was satisfied with the cake.

Ricardo opened the box, and he took the cake out and he smiled widely as he saw what was used for decoration.

"Wow!" Ricardo said.

On top of the cake was a gum paste statue of Ricardo with quite a bit of detail and beauty. The statue had a miniature bow in its hand that was made of chocolate candy melt; the quiver on its back was also made of chocolate candy melt. There was a gum paste target and other decorations.

"It's a chocolate chiffon cake that we made." Buttercup said.

"The filling we have in the cake is pure strawberry compote and we also have some ground berry bits within the batter." Bridgette said.

"Oh, _BOY,_ I am drooling!" Ricardo said.

"Buttercup helped me with most of the decorating and the baking," Bridgette said. "So what are you doing? Give your girl a kiss!"

Ricardo lifted Buttercup up and gave her a big kiss on the lips, which Buttercup returned with full lust and passion.

"Happy birthday!" Buttercup said, once Ricardo broke the kiss.

"Let's hope this cake tastes as good as it looks…" Blossom said, out of worry.

"Bridgette helped make this; I'm sure it will be fine." Bubbles said.

Everyone took a bite of the cake; everyone smiled and started to enjoy the cake, but Buttercup was more relieved about it than anything.

"Nice work, Buttercup," Bubbles said, as she ate the chiffon cake. "Not bad."

"Thanks, but it was mostly Bridgette walking me through the whole thing…" Buttercup admitted.

"You never really _were_ a kitchen whiz, anyway…" Blossom said, sheepishly.

"Yeah, now I know to leave the baking to Bridgette." Buttercup said, as she leaned her head onto her boyfriend's shoulder.

Ricardo gave Buttercup another kiss on the cheek while everyone laughed as the party went off without a hitch.

* * *

**Sorry for the cake lesson… Again. I know I'm probably boring you with these (not to mention making you quite hungry). How about you guys look forward to my next chapter? I'm sure some of you are going to like it.**

**Next time…**

**Bridgette: Josh is **_**really**_** starting to get on my nerves, but why won't my heart stop accelerating when he talks to me?! I want it to stop!**

**Blossom: Come on, Bridgette, just admit it: you're falling in love with him. **

**Bridgette: He crossed the line just now! He… He…**

**Buttercup: What did he do?**

**Bridgette: I can't say it! I just want to sing it out!**

**Bubbles: You're breaking out into song a lot these days; nice method of expressing yourself.**

**Bridgette: Look, sister, I'm not the only one! You girls are getting dragged into it, too!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here's a chapter I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting to read for a long time. In this Musical chapter, Josh is still head-over-heels in love with Bridgette, but the sentiment is not mutual; Bridgette doesn't feel the same way, but she's starting to show **_**some**_** signs of love when Josh is around. Thing is, she's so stubborn that she refuses to admit it. It doesn't really help that Josh's declarations of love for Bridgette just end up making him look bad in front of her. Then when Josh makes his declaration of love plain, simple, yet enraging for Bridgette, she starts going into denial about love; can Josh set things right and get the girl? **

**Songs included are the following, in order:**

"**Luna Love" – Class of 3000 episode "Love Is In The Hair… Net"**

"**I Won't Say I'm In Love" – Disney's "Hercules"**

"**Never Knew I Needed" – Ne-Yo, Disney's "The Princess And The Frog", Credits.**

"**Ma Belle Evangeline" – Disney's "The Princess And The Frog"**

"**Kiss The Girl" – Ashley Tisdale**

* * *

_Get The Girl_

It was just another day at school and everything seemed as normal as could be. No trouble was being caused, monster-based or otherwise. Overall, the city was as peaceful as ever.

However, there was something, or rather, _someone_, that was really out of it and his head was in the clouds, _big time_. It was Josh Jones, who was reading a manga, titled "Kare Kano Hajimemashita". Josh had a love-struck, goofy look on his face as he read the manga. He was also drooling at the pictures and scenario that was in the manga.

'_Oh, look at Hanamori Hinano… Acting all shy and romantic with Asahi Ryuutaro… I'll bet that's just what Bridgette is doing with me; just being shy, in her own outspoken, sharp way.' _Josh thought, as hearts were fluttering around his head, as he kept his goofy, love-stricken face on, while drooling.

"What I wouldn't give to have myself and my sweet Bridgette in this scenario…" Josh said, with a longing look on his face and a romantic tone in his voice; he felt his heart pound in his chest while hearts were still fluttering.

In his class, Luke and Ricardo were watching him, as they looked at one another and discussed Josh's emotions and the way it was _so obvious_ that he was on cloud nine.

"Josh is drooling over some romance manga again," Ricardo said. "He does that every day between classes and such. It's just routine for him."

"Can you blame him?" Luke said. "After Bridgette saved his life, it's no wonder he would have her on the brain like he does; he's in love with her all right. But as far as I'm concerned, Bridgette doesn't feel the same way."

"And I can't say for one second that it isn't justified that she doesn't want to go steady with Josh; she doesn't trust teen boys overall after what happened to her." Ricardo said.

"I wonder when Josh will clue in and either leave her alone or find a way to win her over; I can already see the result: a slap on the cheek." Luke said, with a visible shudder.

"Man, Ryuutaro is so forward and so passionate about Hinano! I'm so jealous!" Josh said, as he kept reading. "And I see a lot of Bridgette in Hinano; so shy and cute…"

"Shy? Far from it…" Ricardo said. "She's so open and outspoken that shy is the farthest from the truth…"

"But… As for cute… Well…" Luke said, a bit hesitant; he did _not_ want to call Bridgette 'cute', because he did not want to feel guilty about it. He had Blossom as his girlfriend, after all; he had no intention of making her jealous in any way, shape, or form.

Ricardo seemed to sense this, and he replied, "Don't worry about it, buddy; if I was single, I'd say the same thing. Buttercup's a beauty, but…"

Having finished reading the one-shot in his manga, he decided to read another romance one-shot; he was so moved by "Kare Kano Hajimemashita" that he decided to move on to another one.

He picked up another manga, this time, "Suki Desu, Suzuki-Kun", and he was on chapter 13 of the series. Josh was focusing on Shinobu and Chihiro's romance, and how Chihiro was so indifferent and such towards Shinobu's feelings for her.

"I know how you feel, Shinobu; the girl I love doesn't seem to feel the same way about me…" Josh said, as he kept reading. "Bridgette, my love…"

"Yep, he's _definitely_ getting a little desperate." Luke said, as he and Ricardo saw how bad the situation with Josh was getting.

"A _little_?" Ricardo said, smartly, and then he chuckled a bit.

"Okay, never mind; make that _a lot_ desperate," Luke said. "Has he never been in his peer group in his life or something?"

"I wonder that, myself…" Ricardo said, before he and Luke were chuckling.

"Hey, Bubbles, I was experimenting with croissant dough earlier…" Bridgette said; her voice was coming from out in the hallway.

Josh seemed to have the ears of a bloodhound, and he heard his beloved's voice immediately. He dropped the manga and dashed to the door; he was hiding behind the door of the classroom while he gazed at Bridgette, who was glowing. At least, he saw her glowing.

"I totally lost the flavor," Bridgette said, venting to Bubbles. "It tasted like bread, not croissants! There either wasn't enough butter in the roll-in fat or there wasn't enough sugar!"

"Are you going to try doing it again later?" Bubbles asked. "I would love to taste the croissants."

"I know it. I _know_ you would; I'm sure you and the others would feel the same way." Bridgette said, as she closed her locker.

"Josh? Josh? Josh, are you okay?" Ricardo asked, waving his hand in front of Josh's face.

Josh did not answer; he was merely looking at Bridgette with love-stricken eyes and hearts were flying over his head like he was under some sort of spell. Then again, he had been infatuated with Bridgette for a _very_ long time.

"J'taime… Bridgette… Oh, j'taime!" Josh muttered, as he felt himself sigh, and hearts were fluttering over his head again.

"Josh, dude, you're starting to creep us out." Luke said, but he was beating a dead horse.

"I have to win her over! And I think I know just how!" Josh said, as he then dashed back into the classroom to look for "resources" to win over the girl of his dreams.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Ricardo asked.

"Because it definitely won't end well…" Luke said; both he and Ricardo knew that when it comes to romance, Josh was a hopeless rookie.

Josh ran back to his desk to try looking through the book to see if there were any clues as to how to win Bridgette over; what he did not know was that Bridgette was a _very_ tough nut to crack, almost as if she were a hollowed out cannon ball.

"Aha! Perfect! Now I just hope Bridgette likes it, or I don't make a fool of myself…" Josh said.

Hearing this, Luke and Ricardo sighed, really loudly; they _knew_ what was about to happen, and they knew they were not going to like where the situation was going.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after the final bell rang, the girls decided to head to their own houses for the day; they decided to make the best of the peace before something bad were to happen, be it Mojo Jojo or Princess causing chaos in the city for some reason or another.

Bridgette took a more private route to get to her house; she was walking along while humming to herself and looking at her croissant recipe to see how she could alter it and make it taste better.

"Okay… Maybe if I added more sugar or some honey to the dough…" Bridgette muttered as she stopped humming for a second. "No, that probably won't work…"

However, a bouquet of red roses fell from out of nowhere; Bridgette caught them, but questions were being raised in her mind about what was happening.

"What the…?" Bridgette asked, as she looked at the roses; she blushed a little bit, but then she scoffed at the cheesiness.

She soon heard some kind of guitar music and Bridgette grew confused at the sound. She had no idea what was going on.

"Bridgette, my love…" Josh said, from a hiding spot. He came out from behind a tree, another flower in his hand, and looking at Bridgette with sultry eyes. "Please listen to how I feel."

"Eh…?" Bridgette said; Josh took one of Bridgette's hands and pulled her closer to him.

Bridgette saw Josh looking at her with romantic eyes, but Bridgette was not impressed; she had a look on her face that was a combination of 'gross' and 'not interested'. Josh did not seem to pick up on this, however.

All of a sudden, the scene changed; Bridgette somehow underwent a wardrobe change, and she was looking at herself, confused. She was wearing a pink flamenco dress with a ruffled skirt that went all the way down to her ankles, and sleeves that were not attached to the sweetheart neckline of her dress; her shoes were pink kitten heels with straps and open toes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a pink rose tying it up, and she was wearing makeup that set off her pink eyes.

"Wha?! What's going on?!" Bridgette said aloud, in a very surprised manner; she was quite upset and disturbed by the sudden change in situation.

She soon spotted Josh, dressed as a mariachi musician, only in a yellow uniform, and no hat.

"_Te quiero, mi quieres." _Josh sang, in Spanish, while in front of a mirror, combing his hair. He turned to Bridgette and started walking over to her. _"Te adoro, I confess!"_

Josh took Bridgette by the waist and started to dance with her, but she was not too pleased with the situation.

"_I love you, do you love me? I adore you, can't you see?" _Josh sang, in askance; Bridgette rolled her eyes and turned her back on Josh. However, he turned Bridgette by the shoulder back to him, as he snapped his fingers, and soon, they were beside a river that came out of nowhere.

Bridgette looked at the scene in disbelief as she saw what had just occurred; she did not like what was happening at the moment.

Josh slow danced with Bridgette, but she refused to have physical contact with Josh; he did not seem to pick this hint up.

"_Darling, to me, you're fantastic," _Josh said, as he was going in tune with the music; he showed Bridgette her reflection in the running water, and how calm and happy his smile was. _"For you, I would swim the entire Panama canal."_

Josh fell into the water, and the scene changed to a street corner in Miami, Florida, with Bridgette sitting at a table and Josh dancing the flamenco.

"_And you will be my girl. I will dance the Flamenco, with a flamingo, in the streets of Miami."_ Josh sang; on cue, a Flamingo came up next to him and danced along with Josh.

Soon, the moon rose up before going down and the sun came back up once again, and Josh soon sat down next to Bridgette, with a guitar ready; Josh sang, _"All night long, until you hear my song."_

Bridgette got up and started to walk away; Josh walked after her, and he sang, _"Yes, yes, I know. Call me crazy, call me insane!"_

Josh took out a pen and a paper pad before looking at Bridgette with flirty eyes and a smile, before singing, _"As long as you call me. My number is…"_

Bridgette merely pushed Josh on his chest, and caused him to fall down a flight of stairs that came out of nowhere, as Josh sang, _"Te quiero, mi quieres!"_

Josh landed on his rear, and his guitar fell onto his head, smashing and hurting him, as he sang, _"Te adoro, I confess!"_

Josh managed to recover in an instant and was dancing in front of Bridgette, who was _not_ impressed.

"_I love you, do you love me? I adore you, can't you see?" _Josh sang, as he soon dipped Bridgette down for a second.

Josh then got serious as he hugged Bridgette and refused to let her go. Bridgette tried to pound on Josh's chest to break free, but she got nothing.

"_Te quero, mi quieres. Te adoro, I confess! I love you! Do you love me? I adore you, can't you see?" _Josh sang, as he hugged tighter; Bridgette refused to let this go, so she decided to break free.

However, the scene changed to Bridgette sitting at a bakery table, and she soon saw Josh in front of her, carrying a heart-shaped raspberry Danish in his hand. Bridgette, seeing this, blushed a bit, and looked at Josh with teary eyes.

Josh blushed in return, as he began to act shy. He tried to get a little closer to Bridgette; he puckered up for a kiss, but as he tried to move in to kiss her, Bridgette got on the defensive.

She took off one of her gloves, and prepared her hand for something. Josh noticed this, but he was confused as to why Bridgette was doing such a thing. Bridgette gave him a hard look, and after a few more stretches, she slapped Josh on the cheek on the last note of the song.

"What…?!" Josh said, as he held onto his cheek, as he felt the stinging pain.

"What was that about?!" Bridgette said, upset.

"I should be asking that to you…" Josh asked, as he rubbed his cheek.

"Didn't I tell you that I've sworn off of love?!" Bridgette said, as everything changed back to normal after the song was over. "That means permanently! And I don't even feel that way about you!"

Josh felt his heart snap in half, but he managed to pull himself together as he said, "You don't?"

"No! And I never will, either!" Bridgette said, as she picked up her bag and started to leave.

"Hold on," Josh said, as he grabbed Bridgette's hand. "I may not know what your reasons for swearing off love are… But I don't care."

Bridgette's heart throbbed at this; feeling this sensation, she thought, _'What's going on?! Why is my heart pounding like this?!'_

"So… Before you go…" Josh said, as he put something in Bridgette hands. "Sweets for the sweetie."

Bridgette looked at the item to see it was a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates; Bridgette's eyes sparkled at the brand, as it was a really good brand of chocolate.

"I… Won't give up on you… Ever." Josh said; he tried to get a kiss on the cheek, but Bridgette gave him a glare, causing him to back off.

"Thanks…" Bridgette said, as she started to walk away, heading home.

Josh watched as Bridgette left; a stray heart fluttered over his head, but it cracked in half, as Josh hung his head. However, he kept his resolve to not give up on the love of his life.

Josh looked up and saw Bridgette retreat; he blushed as he saw Bridgette leave.

Bridgette, on the other hand, managed to look at the candy that Josh got her; she smiled a little bit, but mainly because she got her hands on a brand that was very good, and the roses she got out of nowhere were in her other hand.

"This chocolate is supposedly a masterpiece…" Bridgette said, as she took a piece and ate it. "And they were _RIGHT!_ How did he get his hands on this?!"

Bridgette soon got home, but she had a lot on her mind after what had happened. Her father was out in court on a case, so she was by herself. Bridgette put the roses in water, while bringing the chocolate upstairs to her bedroom.

Bridgette looked out her window, but she was not so much focused on the view as she was on her heart.

"Why… Is my heart skipping beats? It's not that I even like him! If that's the case, then why?!" Bridgette said, as she groaned and slapped her hands onto her face in frustration.

She soon found her eyes moving to a stray bag of candy that was in a drawer. Bridgette blinked as she saw these candies, but she turned her face away for a second, and just decided to get down to her homework.

However, her power belt started going off, and then she picked up the buckle before saying, "What's the problem?"

"We've got our usual Mojo Jojo problems," Blossom said, as she, Bubbles, and Buttercup had made their way to a hiding spot. "Just transform where you're at and meet us at the scene, okay?"

"On it!" Bridgette said, with a nod.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!"_

Bridgette flew out the window of her house, leaving the chocolates and candies behind; she looked back for a second, but she shook her head before saying, "Focus, Bridgette! You don't have time for something that's going to end badly!"

* * *

The next day at school, Bridgette brought the chocolates and the candy to school; she had no idea what possessed her to do so, but she otherwise did not care.

"Where'd the chocolate come from?" Bubbles asked.

"Josh." Bridgette said simply.

"He gave you chocolate?" Blossom said; Bridgette knew where Blossom was going to go with this.

"Don't start," Bridgette said. "He gave me flowers, too. All because of some stupid love song he performed yesterday."

"Bridgette, just give in. You know you like him." Buttercup said.

"No, I won't; I don't like him like that, if at all," Bridgette said, stubborn. "I need to stick to what my head is telling me, or I'll get hurt again, I just know it."

"Are you sure?" Bubbles asked.

"Dead positive." Bridgette said, simply. She was really not looking for love, anyway.

Josh was listening to the girls, and he sighed sadly; he was not going to give up, but the least he could do was be a sensitive guy and take into account what Bridgette would want.

Josh noticed the box of chocolate he gave her was almost empty; he blushed as he saw how much Bridgette enjoyed it. He sighed romantically as he watched Bridgette eat the candy.

'_Why can't I make her fall for me?' _Josh thought.

"Having some trouble, Josh?" Luke asked, startling Josh.

"Oh, Luke, it's just you," Josh said, with a shudder from the start. "Tried a serenade yesterday, all it got me was a slap on the cheek."

"Bridgette's a tough nut to crack," Luke said. "Winning her over is really hard, if not impossible. But persistence will probably get you somewhere. You just got to show her you care."

"Show her that I care…" Josh said, repeating Luke's advice. "Thanks; I looked at the cleaning schedule, and Bridgette and I are in charge, so I can at least give that a shot later today."

"Let's hope she isn't too angry about it…" Luke said, trying to keep Josh from doing something stupid.

"EH?!" Bridgette shouted, as she saw the cleaning schedule; she and Josh were on the list for cleaning that day.

"Ooh, looks like the two of you are being set up together." Bubbles said.

"Bubbles…" Bridgette said, in a warning tone, as she was _not_ happy about the situation.

"Come on, Bridgette; Josh loves you to pieces." Blossom said.

"Exactly. How did this stupidity happen to me?!" Bridgette muttered as she picked up a broom and started cleaning.

She was sweeping the room and humming as she was waiting for Josh, who came in with a towel and some warm water that had been laced with soap.

"This is really nice," Josh said, attempting to put a hand around Bridgette's shoulder. "Just the two of us…"

"We have work to do Josh," Bridgette said. "Less talking, more cleaning, if you'd please."

Bridgette did a little bit of a dance as she started to do more sweeping; she was moving to the ending dance of the song "Almost There" from Disney's "The Princess And The Frog". She managed to catch Josh's eye once again.

He was staring at Bridgette and paying special attention to her movements.

'_The grace of her dancing… The bell-like tones of her singing voice… It's so heavenly. I've heard of being kissed by an angel, but…' _Josh thought, as he was scrubbing the floors again.

After the floors were finished, Josh had started to get rid of the water when he noticed Bridgette looking out the window while her mouth was moving, but she was not saying anything.

"Bridgette?" Josh said, as he came over to Bridgette and stood beside her.

"What?" Bridgette asked, a bit muffled.

"Um… The sunset really makes you look radiant." Josh said, trying to compliment Bridgette.

"Thank you…?" Bridgette asked, not sure where Josh was going with the conversation.

"Um… How were the chocolates I got you?" Josh asked.

"Oh, they were great," Bridgette said. "How were you able to afford such expensive, delicious chocolate?!"

"Oh, my dad's an archaeologist; he gets paid quite a bit for the fossils and other stuff he digs up." Josh said, with a chuckle.

Bridgette just kept chewing on something and ignoring Josh; Josh seemed to notice what Bridgette was doing, and he asked, "Are you eating something?"

Bridgette stopped, and swallowed her candy before saying, "It's one of these strawberry candies that Blossom gave to me a few days ago."

Bridgette took out the bag, and showed it to Josh; he took a good look and then nodded in response.

"Those look pretty good." Josh said, as he took a candy.

"They taste great, yes, but their slogan is the dumbest thing ever." Bridgette said, as she ate another candy.

Josh ate one of the candies, and after a few chews, he said, "It _does_ taste like strawberries."

"Now if only it wasn't an imitation flavoring," Bridgette said. "But as I was saying, the slogan for this candy is just plain stupid."

"What's the slogan?" Josh asked, as he finished his candy.

"The slogan is "A Pure Kiss's Taste" or something like that. Stupid, huh?" Bridgette said, albeit she was not happy with the situation.

"I tasted the strawberry, but…" Josh said.

"But…?" Bridgette asked, trying to coax something out of him.

"I didn't taste the kiss… So…" Josh began, as he tried to set the mood right. _'Here goes nothing…'_

"So what? It's just a slogan; geez…" Bridgette said, rolling her eyes, and she leaned on the windowsill.

"Bridgette, I don't really know why you're so adverse to how I feel about you," Josh said, as he sighed sadly. "But I really like you."

"I wonder about that…" Bridgette said, sighing.

"But about that candy…" Josh said. "It says that it has the kiss of a pure taste."

"What's your point?" Bridgette asked, as she looked back at Josh.

"Is it really true, that's what I'm wondering." Josh said, simply, but his face was red.

Bridgette did not say anything, but she took this whole thing as just Josh joking around.

"What are you talking about?" Bridgette asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to get Josh to get to the point.

"Should we find out if it's real?" Josh asked.

Bridgette started laughing a little bit as she thought Josh was being funny.

She calmed down, before turning serious and then saying, "Don't joke around like that Josh; it's not funny."

However, Josh did not seem to listen; he stood up and looked at Bridgette with a serious face on, and he gently took her shoulders.

"Josh, what are you doing?! Let me go this in…" Bridgette demanded, but…

Josh put one of his hands behind Bridgette's head before kissing Bridgette with an open-mouth kiss. He held it, but Bridgette was pounding on his chest while making noises that said 'no' with anger. However, what was _really_ bothering Bridgette was the fact that her heart was pounding positively rather than not pounding at all as a reaction.

Josh broke the kiss and pulled away, red in the face, and with a look of longing on his face.

"Wh… Wh…" Bridgette muttered, her lips trembling.

"Bridgette, I…" Josh began, but…

Bridgette's eyes started overflowing with tears, as she touched her lips, feeling the warmth from the kiss, before screaming, and quite loudly.

"Josh, how could you?!" Bridgette hollered, crying, as she grabbed her candy, her bag, and she ran out of the classroom, crying.

"Bridgette, wait!" Josh said.

Just as he was about to give chase, he remembered that he was the one responsible for her emotional state, so he just slammed his fist onto the desk, and moaned in frustration.

Bridgette ran past her friends, who were hanging around outside the school, waiting for Bridgette.

"Bridgette, what happened?!" Blossom asked, but Bridgette ignored her friends, as she ran home, tears in her eyes and they were shut tight.

"What happened?" Bubbles asked aloud.

"That's what I wonder, too…" Buttercup said, as they watched Bridgette run home in tears.

Bridgette made it back home, and she immediately went inside her house.

"Oh, Bridgette, there you are." Her father said.

"Leave me alone!" Bridgette said, hollering in tears; she ran upstairs to her bedroom and shut the door before locking it.

"What was that about?" Melvin asked aloud.

Bridgette staggered to her desk as she put her candy down, and she kept crying from her swirling emotions.

She looked at the bouquet of red roses and she grumbled something under her breath about love being nothing but a curse. Bridgette then started sobbing from her experience; it was more out of grief than it was out of anger.

Bridgette kept crying and sobbing from her kiss being stolen, and she was so distraught at this that she did not even eat dinner.

"Why…?! Why did my heart keep pounding even though my head told it to stop?!" Bridgette complained, as she kept sobbing.

Back with Josh, he was sulking on his bed, upset that he had stolen Bridgette's first kiss; it was his first kiss, too, so he knew how she felt… Somewhat.

"Damn it…" Josh muttered. "I have to make it up to her… But how?!"

Josh grabbed his head and hung it as he was really confused and upset on what to do about his situation.

* * *

The next day, Bridgette woke up in the same position that she was in the night before; sleeping at her desk, and as she woke up, the first thing she saw was the rose bouquet.

"No! Never!" Bridgette said, as she went downstairs to eat.

"Bridgette, I made you some extra food to eat," Melvin said, as he saw his daughter sit at the kitchen table. "You didn't eat last night; bad day or something?"

"Or something…" Bridgette muttered, as she ate her breakfast.

"Did something happen?" Melvin said.

"Like _you'd_ be more helpful than leeches on a corpse!" Bridgette barked back as she ate.

Melvin was confused as to what his daughter was thinking with her anger; he knew she was stubborn, but Melvin thought she was going too far with herself.

Once Bridgette finished eating, she retreated back into her bedroom. Luckily for her, it was a weekend and so she decided to find a way to take her mind off of things.

"I'll never forgive Josh for that!" Bridgette said, as tears threatened to spill once again.

However, she saw the roses, and grit her teeth in rage. Bridgette snagged the roses in anger before leaving out the door to her bedroom, and then the house.

"Dad, I'm going out!" Bridgette shouted, before slamming the door.

She started walking the city around in sadness, as she needed some time to clear her head; she felt like something had gone very wrong with her heart.

Bridgette started to shed tears as she ran off to find some isolation to think.

"Any luck on finding Bridgette?" Buttercup asked; she and the girls had met up at the lab earlier that morning.

"Nothing," Bubbles said. "I tried her phone, but it was either turned off or she refused to answer."

"I would have used the compact, but she could hang up at any time." Blossom said.

"And I already called her dad; he just said she stormed out for some reason." Buttercup said.

"So what do we do?" Bubbles said.

"We need to find her…" Blossom said. "I hope she's okay…"

Josh, meanwhile, was frantic; he had been running around the city, looking for Bridgette, but since he had no idea where she could have gone, Josh went straight to the source: her father.

Josh ran up to the door and started banging on the door while shouting, "Bridgette! Come on, open up! Please?! Bridgette!"

He started panting as he tried to catch his breath; Melvin answered the door, and said, "Young man?"

Josh held up a finger so he could catch his breath and talk to Bridgette's father clearly.

"Do… You know… Where Bridgette… Is?! Is she in the house?! I need to talk to her." Josh said, finally getting his nerve back.

"No, Bridgette left the house an hour or so ago; she hasn't come back. Do you know about what's been bothering her… You must be Josh, right?" Melvin asked.

"Yes, I know what's on her mind. She's angry with me for… Kissing her." Josh admitted, going red in the face.

"So, you stole her first kiss? Strange…" Melvin said.

"How is that strange?" Josh said.

"Her first boyfriend… Wasn't a nice boy at all. No kisses, no hugs, nothing. Just kept her around for the sake of it; he was a delinquent in any way you can put it. She's sworn off of romance since because of a very, _very_ broken heart." Melvin explained.

'_So THAT'S what happened…' _Josh thought. "Thank you, sir. I'm going to go find Bridgette and set things right."

Josh ran off to find Bridgette and to make it up to her for what he did. He knew it would not be easy, with her stubborn personality, but Josh _knew_ that he had to do something.

Meanwhile, Bridgette was sitting near a cliff that overlooked the city; she had found her way there out of grief, and anger about the kiss, but Bridgette was not so worried about others at the moment.

"What's going on with me?! Why did my head say 'no', but my heart say 'yes' to that kiss?! I don't even feel that way about him, do I?! No, of course I don't!" Bridgette said, indignant of her feelings.

She stood up and sighed angrily, while hoping to never have her heart broken ever again. After what had happened to her in the past, who could blame her was the question.

The light dimmed down and a spotlight came down on Bridgette; she was still holding the roses, and she was really angry.

"_If heartbreak's a badge of honor… I guess I've naturally earned that…" _Bridgette sang, as she started walking, being careful not to fall off the cliff.

Bridgette walked past some wild flower bushes, and soon, the heads of her friends were conjured up out of the flowers; Bridgette sang, _"No boy's worth the insensitivity!"_

The flowers looked over to Bridgette, who merely threw the roses behind her, while singing, _"My heart won't break again! Been there, done that!"_

Blossom's "roses" caught the ones that Josh gave her; the three rose heads came up and started to sing, _"Who'd you think you're kidding?! He's the Earth and Heaven to you!"_

Bridgette sat down as the flowers sang, _"Try to keep it hidden; honey, we can see right through you!"_

"_Oh, no…" _Bridgette sang, as the flowers sang,_ "Girl, you can't conceal it; we know how you feel and who you're thinking of!"_

"_Oh…" _Bridgette sang, as she stood up. _"Fat chance, as if! That won't happen, no way!"_

The flowers started to sing, _"You swoon, you sigh, why deny it, hey-hey?"_

"_It's so cliché! 'I'm in love', I'll never say!" _Bridgette sang, as she walked along, trying to forget her troubles.

"_Shoo-doop, shoo-doop, ooooh…." _The flowers sang, as Bridgette continued.

As the song was going, Josh was walking along; he started to hear Bridgette sing, and he said, "There she is! This way!"

Josh followed Bridgette's singing voice to find her.

A bush conjured itself up to look like a romantic couple; Bridgette refused to smile and just turned her head away, _"I learned this lesson through the hard way. It feels good at first, then peters out."_

As the flowers were singing behind her, Bridgette sang, _"My head is shouting, 'reel it in, girl'! There's no way I'm going to cry my heart out! Oh…!"_

"_You keep on denying, who you are and how you're feeling. Baby, we're not buying! Hon, we saw you hit the ceiling!" _The flowers sang, as they threw Bridgette up into the air with their vines for a second, before she landed on both feet and kept herself grounded.

"_Oh, no!" _Bridgette sang, as the flowers sang, _"Face it like a grown-up! When you gonna own up that you've got, got, got it bad?!"_

"_Oh…!" _Bridgette sang, as she tried to leave and get out of the scene.

Bridgette tried hopping across rocks near the cliff to get away, while singing, _"Fat chance, as if! That won't happen, no way!"_

"_Give up, give in! 'You're in love', that's what we say!" _The flowers sang;Bridgette tripped, and she grabbed onto some kind of arm; she looked up, and _thought_ she saw Josh, and she blushed; however, it turned out to be another rock.

She shook her head and went in another direction, as she sang, _"This won't go that way! 'I'm in love', I'll never say…!"_

"_You're doing flips. Read our lips: you're in love!" _The flowers sang, as they tried to convince Bridgette of her feelings.

"_NO WAY! Beating a dead horse, I won't say it!" _Bridgette sang, as she went back to the same spot she started at.

"_She won't say it! No!" _The flowers sang, as they tried to hide while Bridgette was moving about.

"_Naturally, of course, I won't say it!" _Bridgette sang, as she soon got to the edge of the cliff.

As the lines, _"Girl, don't be proud, it's okay, you're in love!" _were sung, Josh was hiding behind some vegetation to listen to Bridgette.

Josh saw Bridgette hold the roses out to the edge of the cliff, and she took out one before putting the others down. She sang, _"Oh… As plain as day… 'I'm in love', I'll never say…"_

Bridgette sang, as she tossed the single red rose over the cliff as the flowers sang the last of the song; Josh walked up behind Bridgette, silently.

Josh hugged Bridgette from behind, and he said, "I found you!"

"G-Gah!?" Bridgette shouted, as she shoved Josh away, and made some distance, but she was going away from the cliff. "Josh, what are _you_ doing here?!"

"I've been looking for you everywhere, Bridgette!" Josh said, his eyes desperate with regret. "I'm so sorry about what happened!"

"Not like you can take it back! You stole my first kiss!" Bridgette said, as she turned away and started crying.

"It was _my_ first kiss, too; we're in the same boat." Josh said.

Bridgette stopped as she heard this, and turned to Josh; wiping a tear away, she said, "Really?"

"The truth is…" Josh said, as he released some tense air. "Since the day you saved me on the beach… I've been in love with you. That feeling has only grown since I've spent time getting to know you. You're not just beautiful. You're smart, an amazing baker… And you're the kind of girl who tells it like it is. I… Love that about you."

Bridgette blushed as Josh admitted this; however, she looked away, and said, "Why should I believe you? You'll just…"

"Break your heart or worse like the last guy?" Josh said, interrupting.

"Who told you that?!" Bridgette asked, angry at this new information.

"Calm down," Josh said, holding his hands up in defense. "I came looking for you at your house earlier today, but your dad told me the whole story."

"Okay…" Bridgette said, breathing a sigh of relief. "But… Why did you have to fall for _me?!_"

"I just told you, didn't I?" Josh asked, as he put his hands on Bridgette's shoulders again.

Bridgette blushed as Josh did this; the look in his eyes was passionate and loving, but Bridgette refused to believe it.

"Come on; let's go." Josh said, as he took Bridgette's hand and started leading her away from the cliff.

"Whoa, wait! Where are we going?" Bridgette asked.

"You don't believe me when I tell you 'I love you', right? Well, we're going on a date." Josh said.

"D-Date?! Hold on!" Bridgette said, about to protest, when Josh took her other hand.

"This is to prove to you that I love you," Josh said. "I won't let you be hurt by anyone. Not even me."

Bridgette's eyes sparkled with an unknown emotion as she heard this from Josh; she stubbornly said, "I wouldn't be too quick."

"Come on…" Josh said, as he gently held Bridgette's hand and led her into the city.

"Why does it have to be _me? _There are other girls, aren't there?" Bridgette asked; she felt like Josh was only leading her on, but her heart kept pounding.

"It has to be you! No one else! Only you!" Josh said, as he started into the city, and then he started off with the date.

Soon, Josh had brought Bridgette into the main part of the city, and he brought Bridgette to a formal restaurant.

Josh was wearing a yellow tuxedo vest while Bridgette had a simple, sweetheart-neckline pink dress on.

"I get that you like me because I saved you, but…" Bridgette said, not convinced of Josh's affections.

"No… It's not just that. I don't just love you; I _need_ you at my side…" Josh said, as he took one of Bridgette's hands into his own.

"Why?" Bridgette said.

"Because…" Josh said, as the date continued, and he started to sing. _"For the way you changed my plans…"_

As the duo was walking through the city, Bridgette looked up to the stars, and her eyes sparkled at the sight of it.

"_For being the perfect distraction…" _Josh sang, as he saw this.

Josh remembered his ideal life in a flashback: a normal kid with a lot of guy friends, playing sports, and just not moving around all of the time. However, his ideal disappeared as a shinning, pink light replaced it. The light then turned into Bridgette's face, and Josh smiled.

"_For the way you took the idea that I had, of everything that I wanted to have. And made me see there was something missing." _Josh sang, catching Bridgette's attention.

"_For the ending of my first begin. And for the rare and unexpected friend," _Josh said, as he took Bridgette's hands into his own. _"For the way, you're something that I'd never choose, but at the same time, something I don't wanna loose. And never want to be without ever again!"_

Josh, holding Bridgette's hand, and started walking along the street to their next stop.

"_You're the best thing I never knew I needed! So when you were here, I had no idea…" _Josh said, as he pulled Bridgette closer. _"You're the best thing I never knew I needed!"_

Josh looked Bridgette in the eyes; her face was reflected in his yellow-amber eyes, and he sang, _"So now it's so clear. I need you here, always…"_

Josh imagined himself as a prince, but then he tripped and fell on top of Bridgette, a princess, under a sleeping spell, and after an accidental kiss, he woke her up.

"_My accidental happily ever after…" _Josh sang.

He then remembered all the times he watched Bridgette from afar, laughing and smiling, and how much it made him happy just to see Bridgette in a good mood.

"_The way you smile and how you comfort me with your laughter." _Josh sang.

A book with Josh's portrait came up out of nowhere, and sang, _"I must admit, you were not a part of my book…"_

The book opened up to see pictures of Bridgette and all of her facial expressions in every page, while Josh sang, _"But now if you open it up and take a look, you're the beginning and the end of every chapter."_

Josh started to run, with Bridgette in tow, and Josh sang, _"You're the best thing I never knew I needed. So when you were here, I had no idea…"_

Josh slid down a branch with Bridgette behind him, as he sang, _"You're the best thing I never knew I needed!"_

Josh turned back to Bridgette and looked her in the eyes, before singing, _"So now it's so clear, I need you here, always…"_

Josh started walking with Bridgette to go to the park, and sang, _"Who knew I could be… So unexpectedly… Undeniably happier…"_

Josh and Bridgette then sat at a bench, and Josh took Bridgette's hands into his own while singing, _"Sitting with you right here, right here next to me? Girl, you're the best!"_

Josh continued to sing to Bridgette, who was merely looking at him with wide eyes; he sang, _"You're the best thing I never knew I needed! So when you were here, I had no idea. You're the best thing I never knew I needed! So now it's so clear, I need you here, always. So, now it's so clear… I need you here, always…"_

Josh was about to lean in to kiss Bridgette, but she stop him with a gentle hand to his mouth before saying, "That's sweet, Josh, but… I'm still not convinced."

"Stubborn, huh?" Josh said, with a light chuckle. "My dad is the same."

"Really?" Bridgette said, with a hint of sarcasm.

"When I was a kid, I would have given anything to be like every other boy my age in the world, with a normal childhood." Josh said.

"You wanted to be a dishonest, AWOL jerk?" Bridgette said, turning her back away.

"Not all boys are like that." Josh said.

"How do you know?" Bridgette said, as she looked into the water and sighed sadly.

"What about your friends' boyfriends?" Josh asked.

"Touché…" Bridgette said, with a sigh. _'Josh, why do you have to cause my heart to skip beats or pound faster?!'_

"Bridgette, whenever I'm with you, I feel like my whole world is complete; you're the most amazing girl I've ever met, and the first girl I've ever fallen in love with." Josh said, as he tried to get closer to Bridgette.

"Love is dead to me…" Bridgette said, simply, but her face was turning red. "It's just a gateway to pain; the one you love will end up hurting you, and I've been there."

Josh pulled Bridgette closer to him as he tried to convince her of his genuine feelings for her.

"Bridgette, I promise… That I would never, _ever_ put you through that. I'll _never_ hurt you." Josh vowed.

The two were slowly leaning in closer to one another as Bridgette said, "How do I know you can be trusted? It's not like I… I…"

The two were about to kiss, when…

Some romantic music came on and started playing from across the road. They were interrupted, so Bridgette breathed a sigh of relief, before Josh took her hand once again.

"Do… You want to go and dance?" Josh asked.

Bridgette slowly nodded, not exactly happy about the situation; she decided to just give things a shot, and then make a choice.

"You… You're really opening up, aren't you?" Josh said, as he led Bridgette across the street.

"I don't know why…" Bridgette said, as she soon linked arms with Josh, but completely by instinct.

"You're… Really a cute girl, Bridgette." Josh said, as he and Bridgette got into a position to dance across the street.

"Exactly what do you mean?" Bridgette said, as she started to relax.

"You… Really light up my world." Josh said, as another song started.

"_Look how she lights up the sky…" _A random voice sang, as the duo started to dance.

"_Ma belle, my sweet, Bridgette." _The voice sang, as Josh gently led the dance, being careful with Bridgette.

"_She's right next to me, yet I… Feel her heart belongs to only me." _The voice sang, as Josh held Bridgette closer.

'_That's actually my inner heart singing; now we can actually hear it…' _Josh thought, as he was going red in the face.

"_Je'tadore, je'taime, my sweet Bridgette." _Josh's inner heart sang, as he kept waltzing with Bridgette.

Looking up at the stars, Josh started to sing along with his inner heart, as he sang, _"My princess of the night; so still, so bright. If someone as beautiful as thee… Could love someone like me."_

Bridgette was a tad startled to hear this, but ignored it as she turned her face away, with a blush on her face.

Josh smiled with love, and he kept going with the song; he sang, _"Love always finds a way, it's true."_

Bridgette ignored this, but Josh held Bridgette a little closer as he sang, _"And I love you, my sweet Bridgette."_

The dance started to pick up between them as they started to sway and dance with the music; Bridgette's mind seem to be a little more open to the idea, and she just gave in and kept going with Josh.

Josh started to really move with the music, and Bridgette relaxed and went along with it. She smiled a little bit, as she began enjoying herself; she felt really happy.

Josh smiled with love and warmth as he seemed to be getting closer to getting the girl.

"_Love is beautiful, love is wonderful. Love is everything, do you agree? Mais oui!" _Josh's inner heart sang, as he got a good look at Bridgette's smile.

Bridgette opened her eyes; her pink irises were shinning as the light of the stars reflected off the light in her eyes.

"_Look how she lights up the sky."_

Josh felt Cupid shoot him and he smiled, lovingly. He fell even harder for Bridgette than he already had.

Josh and Bridgette were almost about to kiss as the last notes of the song played; Bridgette stopped though, and she said, "I guess you're one heck of a dancer…"

However, Josh and Bridgette found themselves on a dock out of nowhere; Josh cleared his throat, and he asked, "How about a boat ride?"

"R-Really?" Bridgette asked, lifting an eyebrow; she had no idea what was going on.

Josh nodded, as he and Bridgette got into the boat; he rowed the boat out to the center of the lake, as he wanted to get the mood right; the moon was out, and the stars were sparkling very brightly.

"This is a very beautiful scene, isn't it?" Josh asked.

Bridgette merely looked away, trying to avoid looking Josh in the eyes; she did not want to go on with the "date" any more.

"Bridgette, I understand that you don't want to fall in love, but I _want_ you to fall in love with me… Because I really want nothing more than for you to be by my side." Josh said, as he took Bridgette's hands into his own.

"That's sweet, Josh, but… I guess I'm just too stubborn." Bridgette said.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Josh said. "Sometimes stubbornness keeps you from giving up on your goals."

"True." Bridgette said, as she started to blush a little bit.

'_Why do I have a feeling this scene is perfect for a kiss?' _Josh thought, as he went red in the face as a reaction to Bridgette's blushing.

However, music started up again, and Josh immediately went red in the face as he heard the tune; he recognized the tune itself, and he was pretty freaked out.

He heard someone singing, and although he had no idea who, Josh recognized the lyrics immediately.

"_There you see her. Sitting there across the way. She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her." _

Josh knew what the lyrics were talking about; he saw Bridgette sitting across from him, and rather than looking at him, Bridgette was looking more to the water of the lake.

"_And you don't know why, but you're dying to try, you wanna kiss the girl."_ The lyrics sang, and Josh's color deepened as he heard this.

Josh tried to reach for Bridgette's hand, but she merely looked in his direction, causing him to back off.

"_Yes, you want her. Look at her, you know you do. Possible she wants you, too. There is one way to ask her." _The singing voice sang.

Bridgette looked at Josh, who had a red face, but he tried his best to get closer to Bridgette. He leaned in and tried to pucker up, but he felt nervous

"_It don't take a word, not a single word, go on and kiss the girl (kiss the girl)." _

Josh pulled back and thought, _'I know I want to kiss her, but I remember what happened yesterday! Don't want a repeat of that… She'll hate it.'_

"_Shalalalalala, my, oh my, looks like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl! Shalalalalala, ain't that sad, it's such a shame, too bad! You're gonna miss the girl, go on and kiss the girl (kiss the girl)"_

Josh leaned back a little bit, his face red; he thought, _'It's not that I'm shy; I'm just trying to keep her from getting angry.'_

Soon, the boat floated out a little father into the lake, under some trees, but the moon was still pretty visible.

"_Now's your moment. Floating in a blue lagoon. Boy, you'd better do it soon. No time will be better!" _

Josh noticed that Bridgette did not seem to be talking to him; she either felt awkward, or was not interested in speaking to him.

"_She don't say a word, and she won't say a word until you kiss the girl (kiss the girl)." _

Josh shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling; it was not that he did not want to kiss Bridgette; he just had no interest in making her angry again.

Bridgette seemed to notice this and she blinked sweetly, causing Josh to blush and his heart to pound.

"_Shalalalala, my oh my, looks like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl! Shalalalala, ain't that sad? It's such a shame, too bad, you're gonna miss the girl!" _

Josh took a deep breath, ready to kiss Bridgette, and he decided to hurry and get a kiss.

He turned away and ate a breath mint before double-checking his deodorant.

"_Shalalalala, don't be scared, you'd better be prepared, go on and kiss the girl! Shalalalala, don't stop now, don't try to hide it, how…" _

Josh decided to take Bridgette's hands into his own; she noticed this, and blushed, before moving her eyes away from him.

"_You wanna kiss the girl… Go on and kiss the girl (kiss the girl) (oh, ohhh) (kiss the girl, kiss the girl) Lalalala, lalalala, go and kiss the girl. Lalalala, lalalala, go on and Kiss The Girl."_

Josh began to lean in, but remembering how angry Bridgette was the first time he kissed her, he pulled back, and decided not to do it.

"_Shalalalala, my oh my, looks like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl! Shalalalala, ain't that sad, it's such a shame, too bad, you're gonna miss the girl!"_

Josh finally started to lean in to kiss Bridgette; Bridgette, mirroring this, followed Josh's movements. She did not know why she was doing it, but she knew she was acting on her instincts.

"_Lalalala, lalalala, (go on and kiss the girl) go on and kiss that girl! Lalalala, lalalala, (go on and kiss the girl) go on and kiss the girl… Kiss the girl (kiss the girl), go on and kiss the girl!"_

Josh and Bridgette finally shared their first _real_ kiss together; almost as if it were on cue, immediately after they started their kiss, fireworks were shooting up in the sky, near the moon.

The two broke the kiss, yet their faces were not apart in any way. Josh had his eyes squeezed shut, waiting for a slap on the cheek from Bridgette; she did not say or do a thing.

"Bridgette? You're not angry?" Josh asked, as he opened his eyes to see Bridgette, red in the face.

"No…" Bridgette said, simply. "And I don't know why."

Josh gently put a hand to Bridgette's cheek and said, "I've said it before, and I'll say it a million times to make it clear to you. I love you, Bridgette."

Bridgette muttered something, but Josh did not hear her, so he said, "Could you repeat that?"

"I… I love you, too." Bridgette said, as she hugged Josh.

Josh blushed; his face turned into a happy smile, and he hugged Bridgette back.

Later that night, Josh escorted Bridgette back home; they were both holding hands, and soon, they made it back to Bridgette's house.

"Um… Thank you for tonight." Bridgette said, her face pink.

"It's no problem," Josh said. "Tonight was a dream come true for me."

"I'd better get back inside before dad gets worried about me," Bridgette said. "I'll see you at school."

"Hold on." Josh said, as he pulled Bridgette in.

Bridgette was once again caught in Josh's arms, but this time, she felt something go around her neck.

When Josh pulled apart, it was revealed that he had put on a pink, heart-shaped necklace with a red rose-shaped ruby inside it.

Bridgette gasped with wonder as she looked at the necklace in awe.

"Oh, Bridgette, my dearest, this necklace shows that my heart pounds and blossoms like the radiance of a red rose." Josh said, poetically.

Bridgette started crying tears of joy as Josh kissed her once again.

'_Oh, forget what happened before!' _Bridgette thought, crying tears of joy.

The teens then heard someone clear their throat, and soon, they turned around to see Melvin, with a large smile on his face as he saw the scene.

"Son, I must congratulate you," Melvin said. "My daughter can be as stubborn as a mule, if not more. You've proven to me that you are _definitely_ the prince charming she needs. Treat her right."

"I promise, Mr. Hamilton!" Josh said, red in the face, as he gave Melvin a salute and got nervous.

"Thank you." Melvin said, as he and Josh shook hands.

The next day at school, Bridgette was walking to the building, wearing the necklace Josh got her; she had a romantic smile on her face and she felt like her heart had been healed.

"Bridgette, there you are!" Blossom said. "What happened yesterday?!"

"You were worried about me." Bridgette said, stating the fact.

"Yes, we were!" Buttercup said. "Where were you?!"

"On… A date." Bridgette said, dreamily.

"_EH?!_" The girls shouted.

Bridgette nodded, and she said, "Yes; a date with Josh."

"So, you finally gave in to the fact he loves you, didn't you?" Blossom said.

Bridgette nodded, and she said, "Time to let go of what happened; I found someone who will treat me right…"

Josh came up from behind Bridgette and gave her a kiss on the cheek; Bridgette blushed, and she hugged Josh, before giving him another kiss on the cheek.

* * *

**FINALLY! Bridgette gave in and fell for Josh! I hope that it's a happy ending for those two from now until forever. Now let's just hope things stay above water between those two.**

**Next time…**

**Blossom: Now that we all have boyfriends, there's one thing that I'm worried about: should we tell them that we're The PowerPuff Girls, or shouldn't we?**

**Bubbles: Cody's already in on the secret.**

**Buttercup: It's Ricardo, Luke, and Josh that we're worried about.**

**Bridgette: What are we gonna do?! Let them in on our secret or not?! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Now that Bridgette's no longer broken, and she's happy that she has Josh as a boyfriend, she and the girls are faced with one problem that could make or break their love lives: now that they have boyfriends, they're worried about whether or not to let the boys in on their secret about their superpowers. Bubbles knows that they don't need to be worried about Cody. It's the others that the girls are worried about…**

_Secret's Out?!_

It was another day in the City of New Townsville. However, the peace was not about to last long.

"Hahahahahaha!" Mojo Jojo shouted, as he rose up, in another one of his typical robots; he started using the mechanical hands to destroy buildings.

"Now that the PowerPuff Girls are not here right now, this will be a perfect chance to destroy the city and take over the world!" Mojo Jojo laughed, evilly, and started to wrecking even more of the city.

"Hahahahahaha!" Mojo Jojo cackled, evilly.

Luke and Blossom were walking in the park on a date; Luke had his arm around Blossom's waist, while Blossom had her head leaning on Luke's chest.

"This is great," Blossom said, as she rubbed her head against Luke's chest. "Just the two of us…"

She was very happy that she had time to fit in Luke for a date.

"Yep. Just the two of us." Luke said, as he and Blossom sat down on a bench for a few minutes.

"I really love this peace," Blossom admitted. "No bullies, no pranks, no monster attacks to interrupt."

"Monster attacks? Wouldn't The PowerPuff Girls Z take care of that?" Luke asked, as he became confused by Blossom's comment about the monsters.

Blossom caught her slip-up, and she said, "Oh, I was just commenting that it's nice that no monsters are running amok in the park and giving us problems."

"Oh, really? That's a good point." Luke said, taking the bait.

Blossom took a deep breath and she thought, _'That was close…'_

Luke hugged Blossom closer to him by the shoulder; she blushed while relaxing in the embrace of her boyfriend.

However, Mojo Jojo smacked away a piece of the building, and it headed right for Blossom and Luke.

'_NO! If I transform, I can handle it, but… Luke's going to see me if I do! My secret will be out! Besides, I'm in public!' _Blossom thought, as she was scared.

"Luke!" Blossom squealed, a little bit scared.

"Don't worry, I've got you! Get behind me!" Luke said, as he covered Blossom, and took out his backpack.

"You'll get hit, too!" Blossom shouted.

"No, I won't." Luke said, as he grabbed something from his backpack.

Blossom's eyes widened when she saw Luke pull out a really large buster sword. Holding it with both hands and lifting it up with what seemed to be no problem at all, Luke slashed the sword at the concrete piece and it was sliced into two smaller pieces before falling apart into little fragments.

"W-Was that a sword…?!" Blossom asked. _'I thought Bridgette only used that; that sword is HUGE.'_

"My lucky buster sword; never pull it on _anything_ unless it's an emergency, like this." Luke said, as he put the sword away.

"That explains why I've never seen you carrying it at school; then again, they wouldn't have allowed you to do that, anyway." Blossom said.

"That's why I only take it out in public in situations like just now." Luke said, as he sat back down, with Blossom next to him.

'_That was close. But who could have caused… Oh, wait, what am I saying?! And if I know where this scene is going…' _Blossom thought, as she analyzed the situation. _'Poochi will be sounding the call soon.'_

At a local soda shop, Bubbles and Cody were having their own little date with one another. They were holding hands while sharing a blueberry cream soda; there were two straws in the glass.

"Bubbles, you look so adorable when you're drinking this soda." Cody said, as he and Bubbles stopped drinking, so they could breathe.

"Thank you, Cody." Bubbles said, with a blush and a smile.

"This is really nice," Cody said. "Just you, me, no one else. No monster attacks. Just some nice peace for once."

"Careful what you say, Cody," Bubbles said. "You know that the peace around the city never lasts long."

"Yeah, that's so true," Cody said. "I just hope none of those monsters attack today; I get tired of you always having to be pulled away when that happens."

"Crime waits for no one… Or so Blossom says." Bubbles said, as she drank some more of the soda.

"Hey, save some for me!" Cody said, as he laughed, and then started drinking the soda from his straw again.

"Aren't those two over there a cute couple?" One of the patrons said.

"How adorable." Another one said.

One of the waitresses came over, and she said, "Is there anything else I can get for you two?"

"Just a piece of your chocolate-blueberry cake." Cody said, as he stopped drinking the soda to look at his beloved girlfriend in the eyes.

The waitress giggled as she took the order down before going to the kitchen to place it.

However, there was a shaking that hit the whole building and even Bubbles and Cody were feeling it.

Soon, what seemed to be an earthquake began, and soon, Cody grabbed Bubbles before shouting, "GET DOWN!"

Bubbles and Cody feel to the floor, with Cody on top of Bubbles and being careful not to let any of the debris fall onto his girl.

Soon, the shaking stopped, and everyone managed to relax; a few dishes were broken and some of the patrons were freaked out.

"Everyone okay?" The manager shouted, trying to make sure the customers were not in shock.

Everyone started murmuring and such, and Bubbles and Cody exhaled in relief.

"There's only one primate who can cause an earthquake that only hits a few buildings…" Bubbles said.

"You think Poochi will sound the call?" Cody said.

Bubbles nodded; Cody's face fell, but he knew that, like Bubbles said, 'Crime waits for no one'.

Meanwhile, Ricardo and Buttercup were at another park in town, ready to play a game of volleyball.

Buttercup set up the net to play the game; she lost her footing, and she started to stumble a little bit.

However, Ricardo caught her with one arm, as he said, "Whoa, hold on!"

Buttercup blushed as she looked at her boyfriend and saw how his silver eyes were sparkling in dim sunlight, which was because of Ricardo looking down rather than up, so the sun was not on his face.

"You okay?" Ricardo asked.

"I'm fine," Buttercup said. "Thanks for catching me."

"Shall we get back to the game, belle?" Ricardo said, with a wink.

"My name isn't belle." Buttercup said.

"Silly; 'belle' is French for "beautiful"." Ricardo said, kissing Buttercup on the cheek.

'_I never thought that I'd be the kind of girl to get all happy about something like this…' _Buttercup thought, going red in the face.

Buttercup and Ricardo were playing a really intense game of one-on-one volleyball, and so far, the game was tied.

"Here goes!" Buttercup shouted, as Ricardo had served the ball.

Buttercup jumped and spiked the ball, while Ricardo hit it back over the net, scoring a point in the game.

"Great job, Ricardo." Buttercup said, with a blush on her face.

Ricardo served again, but this time, Buttercup bumped the ball over the net, and Ricardo just missed it, causing him to fall flat on his face into the ground.

"Nice one, Buttercup." Ricardo said.

However, yet another piece of debris from the wrecking rampage Mojo was heading towards the couple in question.

"Incoming!" Buttercup shouted, as she tried to get Ricardo out of the way.

However, as if it came out of nowhere, Ricardo pulled out a claymore and hacked the debris into pieces.

Smaller hunks of concrete fell in front of Ricardo and Buttercup; Ricardo put the claymore away before saying, "That was close; you okay, Buttercup?"

"I'm fine," Buttercup said. "I never know you could use a claymore."

"I normally don't pull it out unless necessary." Ricardo said, as he hugged Buttercup.

Buttercup relaxed in Ricardo's embrace as she smiled with a romantic air around the duo.

However, Buttercup thought, _'Where did that hunk of concrete come from? And why do I have a bad feeling about this? It's not like The PowerPuff Girls are incapable of handling this sort of thing, but…'_

With Bridgette, she and Josh were on a date at a bakery; Josh knew Bridgette loved sweets and critiquing them, so he thought it would be the perfect place to have a date.

"Man, this chocolate cake is amazing! The perfect balance is in the cake where flavor is concerned! And the texture is top-notch!" Bridgette said, as she ate a piece of chocolate cake with fudge icing and chocolate sprinkles.

Josh was absentmindedly eating his dessert; it was a butter-pecan pound cake with icing on it, and it was sprinkled with pecans on top.

"Really?" Josh said, dreamily, yet in a daze.

Josh was more interested in his girlfriend than he was in his dessert. He had hearts in his eyes as he was eating his cake. Seeing Bridgette much on some cake so joyously was more than enough for him.

"This is so good!" Bridgette said, as she swallowed her piece. "What about your cake?"

"Nothing's sweeter than just being with you right now, my love…" Josh muttered, as he took another bite of his cake.

Bridgette blushed with a giggle and she said, "Oh, Josh, you're getting so sappy…"

Josh took a sip of his water; however, his eyes were glazed with love as he watched Bridgette eat. She had this air of elegance and refinement around her that Josh simply _adored_. Everything, in Josh's eyes, was going in semi-slow motion.

Bridgette took the fork out of her mouth as she chewed her cake, and as she swallowed it, she smiled with a blush in her cheeks and hearts fluttering around her head. Josh was watching this scene, as she seemed to be going in a slower motion than normal, but that was probably just his infatuation.

'_Bridgette, my love…' _Josh thought, as he watched Bridgette eat.

"You're such a beauty, Bridgette," Josh said. "I'm sure you know how much I love you."

"Josh, we're in public," Bridgette said, going red in the face. "Can you not get all sentimental out loud like that?"

"I can't help it," Josh said, as he took Bridgette's free hand. "What can someone do when they're in love."

Bridgette blushed and giggled just a little bit before putting her fork down. She took Josh's other hand and then the two were about to lean in to one another for another kiss, when…

Mojo's robot was up above the building, and soon, a few more buildings were being destroyed.

The shock waves caused everything to shake.

"HIT THE DECK!" Josh shouted, as he tackled Bridgette to the floor.

The cakes fell to the floor, causing them to get wrecked and damaged; however, Josh was more concerned about Bridgette than he was about the sweets.

Once the shaking subsided, everyone relaxed, somewhat, and the patrons were either in shock or something else.

"Bridgette, are you okay?!" Josh asked, as he helped Bridgette sit up.

"I'm fine; just a tad dizzy…" Bridgette said, as she held her head.

"I'm sorry for tackling you, my love." Josh said, as he kissed Bridgette on the cheek.

'_No problem… But there's only one simian I know who's THIS reckless!' _Bridgette thought, as she grew an angry look on her face; she had an idea as to what was coming next.

Back at the lab, Poochi's nose twitched, and he started shouting, "Mojo is at it again! Wrecking the city as always!"

"You know the drill, Poochi," Ken said. "Call in the girls!"

"_PowerPuff Girls, we need you!" _Poochi shouted.

The girls' belts started going off; the scene was split into four pieces, with all four girls having surprised and upset facial expressions.

Blossom, still in Luke's warm, welcoming embrace, heard her belt going off; panicking, she said, "Oh, darn!"

"What's the matter, Blossom?" Luke asked, as he broke the hug.

"I-I just remembered that… M-My mother needs me at home! My little sister is sick and mom wants me home to help! Please forgive me for cutting this short!" Blossom said, in a panic; she kissed Luke on the cheek before running off in a frantic panic.

Luke sighed sadly, before gruffly saying, "Almost every time Blossom and I are on a date, she has to 'cut it short'. What's _REALLY_ happening…?"

Blossom soon got chills up her spine from Luke's questioning, before she thought, _'Oh, man! Luke's getting suspicious!'_

Once Luke was out of sight, and Blossom knew that she was not in public any more, she ducked into a bush, took out her compact, and began to transform.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

Blossom flew low to the ground to get out of sight of almost everyone, and then she pulled up and flew off to the scene to stop Mojo.

At the soda shop, Bubbles' belt started beeping; she looked up at Cody, who nodded in understanding.

Bubbles nodded in return before giving Cody a kiss on the lips; he blushed as Bubbles left out the door in a hurry. He stood up, put money down on the table for the bill, and looked at the door before thinking, _'Be careful, my beauty…'_

Bubbles found an alleyway to hide in; she ducked down the alley, and she took out her compact.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

She flew out of the alleyway from above to go meet up with Blossom.

With Buttercup, she and Ricardo had been going at it in a game of tennis when Buttercup's belt was ringing.

"Oh, crap, that's my cell phone!" Buttercup said, thinking up a good alibi, very quickly.

"Take the call." Ricardo said, with a shrug.

Buttercup took out her cell phone, opened it, and put it to her ear while turning her back; she held her compact up and it was opened.

"What's the situation?!" Buttercup asked, in a hushed whisper.

"We have Mojo Jojo attacking the city again," Blossom said. "Bubbles and I are going to transform after hiding somewhere."

"Okay," Buttercup replied, quietly. "And Bridgette?"

"We haven't heard from her yet," Bubbles said. "So we need to transform individually at the moment."

"Right," Buttercup said. "I'll meet you guys up in the air."

Buttercup then hung up the compact and her phone; she turned around and told Ricardo, "That was my father; he needs me home to help cook dinner because my mom is out working late today."

"That's okay," Ricardo said. "But it's so weird how things on your end keep cutting in to our time together. It's starting to get a little strange."

'_You have NO idea…' _Buttercup thought. "Sorry, Ricardo…"

Buttercup picked up her stuff and started to run out of the park; Ricardo watched his girlfriend leave.

He sighed angrily, and said, "What's _really_ going on, Buttercup? Why do you keep cutting things short like this? It's too much of a coincidence."

Buttercup sweat dropped, as she heard Ricardo say this.

"I'll go meet up with Luke; maybe Blossom walked out on him again because of something minor…" Ricardo said, as he picked up his bag and started to go to find Luke.

Buttercup ducked behind some trees; after checking to see if no one else was there, she took out her compact.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

Buttercup flew out of the foliage in a hurry to go meet with her friends.

Back with Bridgette, she had no idea what to do; she was in public, her belt was beeping, and she was with her boyfriend.

"Um… Josh?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes, my love?" Josh asked, as he caressed Bridgette's cheek.

"Um… I'm planning on going home, now," Bridgette said, as she stood up. "I'm a little shaken up from that earthquake."

"Yeah, I can see why," Josh said, standing up. "Will you be okay on your own?"

Bridgette nodded; she kissed Josh on the cheek before leaving out the door.

Josh sighed sadly, as he picked up his bag and said, "Maybe I'll go find Cody and the rest of the dudes."

After paying, Josh left the shop, while feeling really down.

As she was running, Bridgette picked up her compact and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's Mojo Jojo," Blossom said. "Hide and transform independently, and then we'll all meet up in the center of town."

"On it!" Bridgette said, as she found a dark area of the district to hide in.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

Bridgette flew out of the shadow and soon flew to the center of the city to go and stop Mojo Jojo.

Blossom and Bubbles were using their yo-yo and bubble wand to try and hinder Mojo, while Buttercup was trying to weaken the appendages of the robot with her hammer.

"Man! Mojo really is doing a number today!" Blossom complained, as her yo-yo got stuck on one of the legs of the robot.

"My bubbles aren't doing anything except cleaning this thing up!" Bubbles said, as all her bubbles bounced off, leaving a clean robot.

"And I can't make a dent no matter how many times I whack this!" Buttercup said, as she kept banging on the arms of the robot.

"_Steel Slice!" _Bridgette shouted, as she shot a pink energy beam from her swords, dismantling the robot, and blasting Mojo off, while he stayed in one piece.

"Well, that's taken care of," Buttercup said, as she dusted off her hands. "Thanks for the help, Bridgette."

"No problem," Bridgette said. "Let's head back to the lab."

The girls flew in formation while going back to the lab.

Meanwhile, Ricardo, Luke, Cody, and Josh all met up with each other in the park, purely by coincidence.

"Hey, guys," Cody said. "How are things with the girls?"

Ricardo, Josh, and Luke merely looked down to the ground, and let out gruff noises as well as some sighs of frustration.

"Um…You guys get into a fight with the girls or something?" Cody asked.

"No; Blossom _supposedly_ had to go and help her sick sister, so she cut our date short… _again_." Luke said, using air quotes for 'supposedly', meaning he had a hunch that there was something else going on.

"If Kasey were sick, I would have known about it at this point," Ricardo said. "Why would Blossom spin a tale like that? But enough about that; Buttercup said that her dad needed her back home to help cook dinner. Last time I checked, Buttercup isn't exactly good in the kitchen."

"Bridgette decided to head home because she was shaken up by the earthquake we had on our date." Josh said.

"Wait, earthquake?" Cody said.

"Yeah," Josh said. "Any common threads?"

"Blossom left after some concrete nearly hit us." Luke said.

"Buttercup did, too." Ricardo said.

"I smell a rat…" Josh said, starting to become bitter. "Cody, what about Bubbles? What was her alibi for walking out on you?"

"I think that phrase is a little bit of an exaggeration…" Cody said. "But Bubbles had to go and help her grandmother clean the house. You should see the inside of that place; it is _HUGE_. Besides, her grandmother isn't as active as she used to be nowadays. Since it's just Bubbles and her grandmother, it's usually up to Bubbles most of the time for cleaning the house."

"Okay, that's a legit reason," Luke said. "But isn't it too much of a coincidence that all of our girls had to cut our dates short for family reasons?"

"You're right," Ricardo said. "It can't just be a coincidence. There has to be a reason why that happens, and why so often, too…"

Cody sweat dropped as he tried to stay calm and keep up the act; he hated lying to his friends, but he had sworn to secrecy on the PowerPuff Girls.

'_Damnit! I can't just say something to my buddies. At the same time, I can't break the promise I made to my girl; what should I do?!' _Cody thought, conflicted.

"Cody, doesn't it bother you that Bubbles walks out on your dates every now and again?" Luke asked Cody.

"No, no, no, not at all! I know she would _never_ two-time on me, and I also know that her grandmother needs her help quite a bit when it comes to house cleaning." Cody said, putting up a really good act; if there was one thing he learned about body language, he knew that his body had to match his words and tone.

"Really? But why would all four of our girls walk out on our dates all at once?" Josh asked, as he thumped his head in annoyance.

Cody's cell phone went off, and he picked up. He saw that it was a text from Bubbles, and it said, _'We're at the lab in one piece. Could you please come?'_

Cody texted a reply back, and it said, _'Yes, but we need to talk! The guys are starting to clue in…'_

"Um, guys, sorry to cut this short, but I have to go back home! Mom needs me! See ya!" Cody said, as he dashed off in a rushed pace.

"Him, too?" Luke said. "What's going on, here?"

'_Sorry, guys… But I think I have a solution.' _Cody thought, as he ran to the lab.

"_WHAT?!"_ The girls shouted, as they heard what Cody had reported.

"Yes, the boys are starting to get suspicious about you because whenever trouble calls, often times you have to cut dates short. They're getting tired of it." Cody said, as he explained everything.

"Oh, man, what do we do?!" Blossom said. "How are we going to through them off our tail?!"

"We have to convince them we're not doing anything suspicious!" Bubbles said, as she hugged Cody, in desperation.

"So what do we do? How are we going to keep them in the dark?" Buttercup said.

"We don't." Bridgette said simply; this brought everyone's attention to Bridgette.

"What are you talking about, Bridgette?" Blossom asked.

"We don't keep them in the dark; we show them the light." Bridgette replied.

Blossom seemed to clue in and she said, "Are you suggesting that we _tell them_?!"

Bridgette gave a nod and said, "What choice do we have? It's either we let them in on the secret or we risk our relationships if they find out the hard way."

"She's right," Bubbles said. "But we don't have to worry about Cody."

"It's not _me_ you should be concerned about," Cody said, as he hugged Bubbles, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I just wonder what they're reactions are going to be."

"You know the cardinal rule about being super heroines: keep your double-life a secret!" Blossom said.

"From those _outside _of your inner circle," Bridgette said, correcting Blossom. "Think: if something happened to us, it would be a double-shock for the boys if they found out that we had superpowers in an emotional moment."

"I have to agree with Bridgette," Cody said. "The only reason I'm in on the secret is that I'm one of the few Black Z Ray victims that _remembers_ what happened, the fact that Bubbles revealed herself to me to help me change back, and that I'm Bubbles' boyfriend. This isn't the case with the others. We _have_ to inform them of the situation."

"Okay… You win." Buttercup told Bridgette.

"Good; we're going to have to bring the boys here if we're going to break it to them. If we transform in public, it would be bad." Blossom said.

"Good thinking," Bridgette said. "Maybe I should make some croissants to lighten the mood?"

"That's probably going to make things a little easier," Bubbles said. "So go for it; we'll bring the boys in tomorrow to tell them the truth."

"Okay." Everyone said at once, with a nod.

"And count me in to help." Cody said.

Later at the lab, Bridgette was rolling out some yeast dough into a rectangle; she put a big slab of fat onto it, which was combination of puff pastry margarine and butter, before doing three book folds and rolling it again. She repeated this step about four or five times, and she wrapped the dough in parchment paper before putting it in the lab's fridge.

"Are you sure that's croissant dough?" Buttercup asked. "It just looks like a big bread dough with a giant hunk of butter inside."

"Croissant, Danish, and Puff Pastry dough are _'laminated'_ doughs, which are doughs that have layers of dough and fat in them on a very small scale," Bridgette explained. "So that large hunk of fat is part of the leavening agent, which gives the doughs the texture we think of when we think 'croissant'."

"Really? I wonder what kind of croissants the boys like?" Blossom asked.

"Who knows?" Buttercup said. "I never really asked Ricardo about that."

"I'll just make plain croissants and chocolate ones." Bridgette said, as she dusted off her hands.

"So you're just going to leave it there?" Bubbles asked.

"If I continue now without a cold dough, the friction will melt the fat," Bridgette said. "So, I'll finish this off tomorrow before the boys get here."

The next day, Cody, Luke, Ricardo, and Josh walked into the lab; with the exception of Cody, the boys had no idea what was going on. The only thing they knew was that in involved their girlfriends.

"Anyone have any idea what this is about?" Luke asked, as he sat down on the sofa.

"No clue." Ricardo said, with a shrug.

"I'm drawing a blank, too," Josh said. "All I know is that my sweet Bridgette is going to be making croissants! Not the kind you get out of a cylinder and bake up, but _the real thing_. Such a talent…"

Seeing Josh going bonkers over his girlfriend, Ricardo and Luke merely sweat dropped; Cody, on the other hand, was silent through the whole thing.

"Cody, are you okay?" Luke asked.

"No, I'm fine…" Cody said, absentmindedly.

The boys merely looked at each other with concern at Cody's behavior.

The girls then came in, with Bridgette carrying a plate of croissants, in plain, and in chocolate. There was a chocolate drizzle on top of the chocolate.

"Boys, we have a confession to make," Blossom said, as she started off the discussion. "There's something we've been hiding from you."

"What could you have been hiding from us that you had to gather all of us here for, Blossom?" Luke asked, as he took a plain croissant and ate it.

"Something… _Big_." Buttercup said, with a sigh.

"How big do you mean?" Ricardo asked. "I know that this _secret_ has both you and my cousin in on it, but what's scaring you?"

"It's something that could make or break a relationship." Bridgette said; her tone of voice was sad, and it was more directed towards Josh, and it had concern written all over it.

"Really?" Josh said, growing worried about Bridgette.

"So, what is it you have to show us?" Ricardo asked, eating a plain croissant.

The girls sighed sadly, as they reached for their compacts.

_"Hyper Blossom!"_

Blossom then put her compact back into her belt and then it started releasing red energy hearts. She was then in a red leotard, and used her hands to form the flaps of her vest. She then opened up her arms and the vest appeared. She then put her hands under her belt and the skirt formed. Her feet were then put together to form the shoes, she spun around twice to form the earrings and choker and then she posed by putting one arm up, the other one down, and then flexing her legs.

_"Rolling Bubbles!"_

Bubbles put her bent arms over her head, where her ring formed. She put one finger on her cheek while opening up her compact. She put the compact back into the belt and then it started showering her with blue bubbles. When she got into her blue leotard, she snapped her fingers to form the vest. Once it materialized, she danced a little bit before forming her skirt underneath. She then made peace signs with her fingers to form the gloves, the earrings and choker formed, and then she got on her knees with her arms in the air.

_"Powered Buttercup!"_

Buttercup put her fists in the air and then opened the compact. She then put it back into her belt and green stars then swirled around her. When she got into her leotard, she swiped her hands under her arms and formed the vest. She then punched the air and did a few arm poses before forming the skirt. She then kicked her feet into the air to form her shoes and then she punched the air to form her pose after her choker and earrings formed.

_"Feminine Bridgette!"_

Bridgette held up her compact close to her chin, she winked, and then opened it.

She swiped her hand with a ring on it over the compact, and then put the compact back in its belt. It started releasing light pink swords as she then started wearing a light pink leotard. She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers, forming the vest, and then punched the air beside her, causing the light to disappear and for the light pink vest to stay. She then put her hands below her torso and snapped her fingers again, forming the skirt. She then clapped her hands to form the fingerless gloves, pretended to slit her throat to form the chocker, patted her ear lobes to form the earrings, and then her hair started flying up above her before magically forming a French Braid, much to her dismay, and then she posed with a hand on her hip, her other hand on her face, a wink, and her foot propped up.

The quartet then did a miniature dance sequence and then they made a group pose.

"_PowerPuff Girls Z!"_

The girls stood before their boyfriends with withdrawn looks on their faces; they felt really bad about hiding this from them. Bubbles, on the other hand, was not so worried, because Bubbles knew that Cody was a different case.

Ricardo, Luke, and Josh were looking at their girlfriends in complete shock; Cody was not surprised and merely sighed.

"You… You're the PowerPuff Girls Z?!" Luke said, almost speechless.

The girls merely nodded as they were totally ashamed of their secrecy.

"Cody, why aren't you upset about this?!" Josh asked, a little angry.

"Because I already knew," Cody said. "I've known for a long time."

"Say what?!" Ricardo said, surprised.

"How long have you known about this?!" Luke asked, upset.

"For at least two years… Because I was a victim of the negative Black Z Rays, opposite of what the girls were blessed with, and Bubbles had to reveal herself to me to save me…"

Luke, Ricardo, and Josh were dumbstruck at this.

"We understand… If you want to end things." Blossom said, about to cry.

"End things with you…?" Luke asked, as Blossom shed some tears.

"It's even harder for _me_ to take in; both my cousin _and_ my girl are PowerPuff Girls. That's a double-whammy!" Ricardo complained, crossing his arms.

Josh remained silent, as he had a lot to take in.

Luke stood up and went over to give Blossom a big hug; he said, "I could never break up with you, Blossom. You're the first girl who was able to see me as who I am, and I could never give that up."

Ricardo was trying his best to get Buttercup to look him in the eyes; no avail.

"Come on, Buttercup, please…" Ricardo said. "I totally understand why you hid this."

"It's bad enough you have to see me in this stupid uniform!" Buttercup complained.

"Isn't it a fundamental rule of super heroes to keep your double lives a secret from those who aren't in your inner circle?" Ricardo said.

Buttercup merely nodded, and Ricardo pulled her into a hug, which she returned, in spite of herself.

Bridgette refused to look Josh in the eye, and Josh was still looking off into the distance with a blank look on his face.

"Josh? Are you okay?" Cody asked, as he snapped a finger in front of Josh's face.

"How can I be okay?! The girl I love was hiding something this huge from me! How can I be _fine_ with this?!" Josh shouted, standing up, and glaring at Bridgette. "I thought you trusted me!"

Bridgette merely looked away, tears threatening to leave her eyes.

Seeing this, Luke growled a bit and turned to Josh, anger _clearly_ in his face.

Josh recoiled a little bit at this, and he said, "What's with you?!"

"Making a girl cry is _unfitting_ of _ANY_ boy, that's what's gotten me riled up!" Luke growled.

Blossom hugged Luke, getting him to calm down, but Josh merely looked at Bridgette, who was spilling tears from her eyes.

Josh kept watching Bridgette, as she took out her compact and changed back to normal.

She then ran out of the lab in tears; Josh, upset, shouted, "Bridgette!"

He ran after Bridgette, who kept on running, still in tears.

"Should we do something?" Bubbles asked.

"No, they need to work on this on their own," Luke said, in reply to Bubbles' question. "We have to let them be."

Bridgette ran near another intersection where it was getting very busy; she felt like her whole world was crumbling.

Bridgette heard Josh shout, "We need to talk about this, Bridgette!"

Bridgette disappeared into a crowd of other people, and decided to find a place to hide out for a little while.

'_Whew… Lost him,' _Bridgette thought. _'Now to find a place to hide…'_

Bridgette was looking around while trying to find a place to hide, but she soon found the right spot: the public library.

'_Perfect! I can hide out in there for a little bit!' _Bridgette thought, as she made a beeline for the library's doors.

Josh got lost within the crowd, meanwhile, but he soon saw Bridgette running into the building. He took off after her and ran into the same building, but after that, Bridgette was gone.

Bridgette was hiding in the "William Shakespeare" section of the library; she had her back against the case, and was being as silent as possible. She was reading "Romeo And Juliet", a favorite of hers.

Josh came into the library to look for Bridgette, but as he looked around the "Science Fiction" section of the library, he had the sneaking suspicion he was looking in the wrong place.

'_Where's Bridgette?' _Josh thought, as he was looking around. _'I need to talk this out with her…'_

Bridgette started to shed tears, as she was moved by the words in the story. Forgetting her main purpose of being in the library she began to recite some lines, albeit quietly.

"Sigh… _'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man…'_" Bridgette recited, trying to be quiet.

However, Josh heard Bridgette's voice; he quietly made his way over to Bridgette's hiding spot. He recognized her voice, and his love for Bridgette only helped him hear here.

Bridgette finished up, saying, "_'Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name that is no part of thee, take all myself.'_"

Josh, who was right behind the bookshelf Bridgette was hiding at, snuck up behind Bridgette, and quoted the next line, "_'I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; henceforth, I will never be Romeo'_."

Hearing Josh's voice, Bridgette was startled; dropping the book, she stood up, and started backwards.

"There you are, darling." Josh said, as he tried to approach Bridgette.

She backed up slowly, trying to get Josh away from her.

"Bridgette, we need to talk this out," Josh said. "I…"

Bridgette merely made a beeline for the door, scared out of her wits; Josh put the book back and chased after her.

Josh managed to keep pace with Bridgette; he shouted, "Come on, Bridgette! Please, get back here!"

Bridgette just started to shed tears as she kept running; she thought to herself, _'I won't be able to run away like this forever…' _

Soon, Bridgette found herself at a crossroad; literally.

Not knowing which way to go, she sighed in defeat and fell to her knees, as if exhausted; she then fell to her side, tears spilling, and feeling like the world was about to end for her.

Josh caught up to her, but seeing Bridgette on her side, he raced to her side, and got down on one of his knees. He picked Bridgette up by her side, and lifted her up; Bridgette was still crying.

She managed to calm down and regain composure enough to say, "_'O, break, my heart! Poor bankrupt, break at once! To prison, eyes, ne'er look on liberty!'_"

Seeing this, Josh gave Bridgette a hug for comfort and affection. He began reciting Shakespeare once again, by saying, "_'Ah me! How sweet is love itself possess'd, when but love's shadows are so rich in joy!'_"

Bridgette managed to relax after a little while; she was still sniveling with tears, but Josh was stroking her hair and hugging her to give her some comfort.

"Bridgette, I could never… I could _never_ leave you," Josh said. "It took so much work just to win you over; I could never throw away the angel who saved me."

Bridgette was still crying while in Josh's embrace, trying to keep herself from crying.

Bridgette soon managed to make eye contact with Josh; he gently took her chin, and lifted her face to make her look him in the eye.

Josh and Bridgette shared another kiss, this time holding it for a very long time. About a minute, or two, to be precise.

"Bridgette, I'm so sorry about how I reacted…" Josh said, as they broke the kiss. "There's no excuse…"

"Josh…" Bridgette said, as she went back to hugging Josh. "I was so afraid; just when I thought that I could get a happy ending, this happens, and I get scared into thinking that you'll end it."

"I would _never_ do something like that!" Josh said, before he kissed Bridgette once more, while she shed more tears.

A little while later at the lab, the rest of the group was waiting for Bridgette and Josh to come back.

"I hope things ended well for them…" Buttercup said.

"I do, too…" Blossom said, as she was latched on to Luke.

There were only two croissants left, and Blossom was _very_ tempted to go and eat one. She reached for the plate, but Bubbles smacked Blossom's hand away.

"Don't even think about it, Blossom," Bubbles said. "We have to save those for Bridgette and Josh, and that's only assuming they'll come back."

"Calm down, girls," Luke said. "I'm sure Josh has realized his screw-up and has gone to go make amends."

The girls soon heard the door open and close, and then the group turned around to see Josh and Bridgette, holding hands, with Bridgette looking very happy and relieved.

"Josh, Bridgette, you've made up?" Blossom said.

Josh nodded, as he gave Bridgette a kiss on the cheek.

"Nice to see the two of you have come to an understanding." Luke said, with a nod.

"It's reasonable why Bridgette hid her secret," Josh said. "It's not that she didn't trust me; it's as Ricardo said earlier: it's a fundamental rule of superheroes to hide your alter-ego from those outside your inner circle."

"Thank you for being so understanding." Bridgette said, as she and Josh shared another kiss together.

"Nice to see that no one was emotionally hurt here." Buttercup said, smiling.

"The important thing is that Josh understands Bridgette and he still loves her." Bubbles said, as he mirrored her friends' expressions.

**Nice to see that this particular chapter ended well. I hope you all liked it, too. Hope to see you for the next one.**

**Next time…**

**Luke: Damn it! I'm freaking out! Is my hair well-groomed? Are my eyes looking fine?**

**Ricardo: Luke, dude, what's gotten your skin in a bind?**

**Luke: Blossom's family wants to meet me! And with my physical appearance, there's no doubt they're going to hate me!**

**Cody: Don't jump the gun with that, Luke. I was a monster at one point, but Bubbles saw right through me for who I really am, which ultimately cured me. Don't get so upset.**


End file.
